With the development of very comprehensive e-learning offers, knowledge seems to be within reach. It can be very tempting to sign up for these training courses that promise to make you a “Web Developer” for ridiculous amounts of money. However, the results are very rarely there: in fact, the completion rates for online courses struggle to exceed 20% and peak at 7% for many MOOCs. The question therefore arises more than ever: how to learn well?
The answer lies in smarter learning, i.e. better targeted, segmented, adapted, shared, and put into practice. In this article, we will decipher the keys to effective training, particularly through the prism of new trends such as micro-learning (or micro-training).
Microlearning, what is it?
Segmenting knowledge to learn better
The philosophy of microlearning is to create short educational modules (lasting 3 to 5 minutes), focused on a specific concept and attached to clear and concrete objectives. In other words, microlearning consists of segmenting information into small bricks, easier to integrate and memorize to allow progressive learning and solid acquisition of knowledge.
A trend that adds to the multiple innovations in the sector:
One of the particularities of micro-training is that it can easily be declined in many forms. Thus, we can find microlearning in digital format as well as in written format. This is why it is good not to confuse mobile learning, a specific e-learning medium, with microlearning which rather designates a specific educational approach.
The content distributed in micro-training is often built around adaptive learning techniques. The idea is to adapt the progression of the sessions according to the learning speed of the employees. It is this segmentation of knowledge mentioned above that makes it easy to model the sequence of training and thus accelerate or slow down the pace, return to poorly integrated concepts, etc.
Why is microlearning effective?
Adapted from a cognitive point of view:
Recent neuroscience research shows that on average, after twenty minutes, we lose our ability to concentrate. It then becomes more difficult to concentrate and learning loses quality. This is why it is advisable to take regular breaks during long training sessions or to segment the learning phases to give our brain time to integrate and digest the recently acquired information.
It is this last idea that microlearning responds to: taking advantage of the peak of memory efficiency and focusing on specific knowledge during the – short – window of time when we are most efficient.
Adapted to the rhythm of our times:
Furthermore, from a more pragmatic point of view, we live today in a context of hyperstimulation. This is true in our daily lives (who is not addicted to their phone notifications, who has not seen their consumption of series increase?), as well as in our professional lives: emails, instant messaging services, noisy open spaces… everything is subject to distraction. It is therefore essential to take this context into account to offer effective training.
It is not always easy – or feasible – to completely disconnect in the office, which is why micro-training is an interesting solution. With short sessions, the risk of interruption is minimized.
Why is this relevant in the professional world?
While microlearning can be applied to all forms of teaching, it is particularly suited and popular in the business world. Indeed, according to the ATD (Association for Talent Development, see link at the bottom of the page), 81% of companies already use or plan to use this learning method to train their employees.
There are many reasons for this success:
- This makes it possible to effectively train employees while minimizing time not dedicated to operations.
- One of the advantages of micro-learning is also freedom: it allows you to juggle numerous constraints and therefore to empower your employees by making them actors in their professional careers, one of the key components of commitment to work.
- The impact of small learnings can be enormous in certain organizations: a formula on Excel, a way of formulating feedback for management, etc. Simple changes can have significant impacts and are therefore highly valued.
- Micro-learning also allows for enhancement: small lessons mean easier objectives to achieve, therefore more recognition for your employees!
- Finally, it allows you to update skills that might not be used daily. For example, it is a good way to maintain your level of English.
Microlearning to help your teams progress
3 pitfalls to avoid
Avoid information and create training:
Indeed, effective training on a specific subject should not rhyme with superficial training on subjects already mastered. To avoid the feeling of a lack of content or depth in micro-learning modules, it is therefore essential to ensure that the educational objectives are ambitious enough and are not too cut up . It is therefore essential to understand the need for skills development upstream to identify the right micro-learning training.
Synchronize the overall learning pace:
You must be careful to avoid asynchronous learning in your teams: freedom in the pace of learning means the risk of a gap in progress. However, part of learning also involves sharing. This is one of the reasons why social learning methods are so successful. Research shows that the “ feeling of isolation ” of employees following training can threaten the smooth running of the training. Conversely, sharing learning and developing a sense of belonging to a company or even a group of individuals can increase the training completion rate.
Apply, apply, apply…
Another key element for the success of a micro-training program is immediate application. If micro-training promotes memorization through the segmentation of knowledge, nothing allows knowledge to be better anchored than the practical application of the new skills recently acquired. Action anchors knowledge. And knowledge if it is not applied remains theoretical…
In practice, how to use microlearning?
The following equation is key: a concept, an explanation, an example of use, an application objective.
Let us take the following examples:
- An Excel function, an explanation of what this function does, an example of context where it is used, and a specific application exercise where the function is useful.
- A session on increasing your productivity, an explanation of the elements that harm our productivity, simple examples of simple techniques to implement to be more focused, and application exercises to implement daily.
As you can see, the subject must be clearly defined and accompanied by concrete content that allows it to be linked to the daily life of your employees. As with all personalized training, linking learning to specific application cases is key: this allows you to give meaning to the training but also to anchor knowledge by quickly applying the concepts learned. In addition, setting clear objectives makes it easier to measure the impact of the training. This is a highly appreciated characteristic at a time when training is increasingly expected to be effective.
