Making a Success of Your Learning Technology Implementation

Technology has taken the wheel, changing the way we live and, well, the way we do most things. Whether it is the way we communicate, the way we sleep, or the way we travel, but most of all, the way we learn. 

There have been many tools and solutions developed from technological advancement, for instance microlearning. Microlearning is designed to provide essential information to learners in the form of small, bite-sized chunks. This strategy of releasing the content in bursts aims to avoid cognitive overload in learners, feeding them as much information as they can effectively absorb and store in their long-term memory.

Implementing microlearning into your employee training strategy must be done carefully and correctly to reap the benefits across your entire organisation. Specific steps must be taken for all employees to be on board with the new structure and how to thrive in their respective roles.

What needs to be made clear for employees?

Before completely rolling out your microlearning courseware to employees, there are particular aspects which must be made clear to the workforce. These are;

• Company goals, values, vision
• How the learning will be useful in the future
• The purpose of what is being learnt
• Frequent and consistent feedback

Microlearning theory

Microlearning provides a plethora of unique features to users, designed to assist them in curating the most effective training course for employees. Let’s touch on a few of those:

1. Gamification

Gamification encapsulates the integration of gaming elements into courseware. This may include leader boards, point scores, star bars and real prizing. The purpose of gamification is to breakdown the barriers learners may have in between them and their education, allowing them to absorb more knowledge in an engaging and fun way. Learners remain motivated and driven when provided with gamified courses, increasing knowledge throughout the workforce and course completion rates.

2. Spaced Repetition to Counter the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve

Learning by repetition is a strategy employed to consolidate knowledge which learners have been exposed to in regular intervals. This is responsible for countering the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, whereby the brain often forgets things if it is not repeated. Microlearning avoids cognitive overload by providing information to learners in small, bite-sized chunks which are perfectly digestible for the human brain.

3. Mobile Compatibility

The mobility of microlearning is essential for the modern learner as workforces are often dispersed, encapsulate a variance of expertise or are on-the-go. Mobile-based microlearning provides users with the power of anytime, anywhere, allowing them to progress through their learning at their own pace, personalizing it in whichever way they please. This makes learning much more appealing to learners, boosting productivity and overall performance in the workplace.

4. Authoring Tool

Authoring tools are the pivotal point in determining whether an LMS is effective or not. A good authoring tool provides users with a vast library filled with a plethora of ready-made templates. These are constructed on the basis of how best users learn, meaning that all you need to do is import your company’s unique content and voila!

What will microlearning achieve for your organisation?

When successfully taken on board by your organisation, microlearning will provide myriad benefits to employees and departments throughout the entire organisation.