6 Learning Strategies You Can Combine With Microlearning To Make It More Effective

Combining Microlearning With Learning Strategies
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Summary: The capacity of microlearning to combine with various other learning strategies makes it a superhero among them and helps augment employee development. In this article, we’ll discuss 6 learning strategies you can combine with microlearning to make your L&D program more effective.

Combining Microlearning With Other Strategies

Microlearning has quickly become a part of every modern corporate organization that cares about the Learning and Development of its employees. For the most part, the popularity of microlearning can be attributed to its characteristics, which are:

  • Microlearning consists of concentrated information that deals with only one learning objective or task per unit or per bit.
  • A microlearning bit takes a maximum of 5 minutes to consume.
  • It can be delivered in various digital formats such as video, animation, game, eLearning module, or even a simple PDF.
  • It is much less formal and less structured than traditional eLearning.

All of these characteristics combine to make microlearning the perfect learning strategy to help modern learners absorb, digest, and retain information for long periods of time. However, this isn’t everything. Organizations that understand the true potential of microlearning know that it has yet another characteristic which makes it a superhero among learning strategies. We’re talking about the capacity of microlearning to combine with various other learning strategies to augment employee development. In this article, we’ll discuss 6 learning strategies you can combine with microlearning to make your L&D program more effective.

1. Mobile Learning And Microlearning

A most obvious combination. Microlearning is implemented along with mobile learning in most organizations as both these learning strategies go together naturally. In order to provide microlearning bits, such as videos, mini-games, and interactive PDFs to learners to consume at a time and place of their choosing, you simply have to make your microlearning mobile-first. Just thinking about microlearning without mobile learning sounds strange. A mobile learning app makes it easier for learners to access microlearning on their mobile devices and provides functionality, such as notifications for new microlearning bits to learners, as well as the ability to leave microlearning and resume from the same point.

2. Gamification And Microlearning

A trend that is gaining immense popularity among learning organizations these days. Gamification and microlearning are an amazing combination, as both learning strategies increase engagement levels. Gamified microlearning consists of videos, simulations, branching scenarios and/or interactivities combined with game elements, such as characters/avatars, points, power-ups, timers, collectibles, badges, and leaderboards, all packed into 5-minute bits. As you can imagine, learner engagement goes off the charts.

3. Artificial Intelligence And Microlearning

Only implemented by select organizations that have the resources to do so, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and microlearning combined means that learners get customized learning paths as well as suggestions for microlearning modules that learners should attempt, based on their preferences and the data collected from their previous course attempts. AI is expected to be commonplace in digital learning by the end of the next decade, and so organizations looking to stay on top of their L&D game must start planning now.

4. Social Learning And Microlearning

Microlearning and social learning is a combination that can be easily implemented by building a chat option in the organization’s learning app, as well as by encouraging learners to discuss courses and topics related to their Learning and Development on social media groups and discussion forums. This way learners can learn from their peers, which is the whole idea behind social learning.

5. Learning Analytics And Microlearning

Most organizations integrate some sort of tracking interface into their learning program, and microlearning is no different. Integrate a learning analytics program such as xAPI into your learning app in order to be able to track how many times a microlearning module is being accessed and by whom and the completion rates of each learner, and use the data collected along with online surveys and simple observation to measure the transfer of knowledge to performance.

6. AR/VR And Microlearning

Again, this is a combination only implemented by larger organizations with a plentiful budget and resources. Due to Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality technology becoming more affordable with passing time, it can be executed by small and medium organizations as well—if not presently, then at least in the foreseeable future. Both of these technologies can provide immersive microlearning experiences to learners, such as simulations with branching scenarios that mimic the real workplace as well as the tasks employees are expected to complete.

Organizations can even combine two or more of the above-mentioned learning strategies with microlearning to create even better learning experiences, provided they plan it all out in advance and have the resources to see the designed digital learning program to fruition. Microlearning is an amazing learning strategy, and it is up to the L&D managers of concerned organizations to creatively and ingeniously plan out combinations with other learning strategies for maximum effect.

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