Why Mobile Learning and Micro-Learning are made for each other

Most modern enterprises expect their employees to be flexible, adaptable, and agile. However, the reality is that most modern employees are swamped with information and generally feel overwhelmed. The last decade has resulted in an explosion of a multitude of communication mediums such as emails, Instant Messaging apps, and social media all of which has led to distractions.

A 2009 Stanford study shows that human minds cannot multitask efficiently. This never-ending stream of information may be the cause for the average corporate employee to feel overwhelmed, distracted, and impatient.

In this midst of a chaotic fast-paced digital revolution, along with constrained training budgets, how does an L&D manager ensure that employees successfully engage with their corporate learning?

Mobile Learning

Mobile Learning or mlearning can be defined as “The point at which mobile computing and e-Learning intersect to produce an anytime, anywhere learning experience however its usage and scope far exceed this simplistic definition.

According to Ray Kurzweil, American author, scientist, inventor, futurist — and now director of engineering at Google: “Mobile phones are misnamed. They should be called gateways to human knowledge.”

The rise in popularity of mobile learning is because of the reason that no matter how powerful or user friendly is a laptop, it is always constrained by size, weight, and the need for power.

However in contrast modern smartphones or tablets are portable and powerful. Their superior hardware coupled with high performing systems operating systems like Android and iOS enables learners to access digital content truly anytime and from anyplace.

KloudLearns’ native mobile app produces frictionless, uninterrupted experiences for your employees at the point of need.

Micro-Learning

Dr. Sydney Savion, Chief of Education Strategy at Dell EMC-Education Service, defines micro-learning as digestible bite-sized learning, delivered to the learner in short bursts, regardless of whether the learner is the customer or the employee.

A distinguishing feature of Microlearning is that it enables learners to break down large complicated concepts into small digestible nuggets.

Each of these “nuggets” of information has a very specific aim and learning outcome.

Microlearning resources can be anything from simple text, a video, some refresher questions, or even a tweet or blog.

Some examples of work-related training include:

• A quick tutorial on the point-of-sale system for new employees.
• An online library of three-minute videos the employees can revisit to complete a specific workplace task
• A quick video followed to roll-out of a new product or service

Please find below a few best practices on how you can use a combination of microlearning and Mobile Learning to make a positive impact on your training program:

SMART Content

SMART is an acronym for goal setting and stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. This SMART concept can be translated to curate content compatible with micro and mobile learning.

Set a clear learning outcome at the beginning of the course and with microlearning; make sure it’s not too complicated. Plan one learning objective per nugget or lesson module. Course creators should ideally err on the side of minimalism by developing well planned and digestible micro-segments.

There must be a focus on information that stimulates a learner’s “need to know” vs information that is “nice to know”.

Technology-enabled microlearning involving 5–10-minute exercises practiced daily to achieve a specific and manageable goal and available at the point of need must be incorporated in enterprise training.

Short & Visual Content

The great media philosopher Marshall McLuhan, proclaimed in 1964, the medium through which a message is experienced shapes the user’s understanding of the message.

Short videos and animated videos tend to work extremely well when used in conjunction with micro and mobile learning.

These short high-impact videos should be around 2–4 minutes in length, while being engaging and to the point.

Infographics can offer at-a-glance information that can be useful for summarizing key points from longer training sessions.

Static text-based content is however still the most widely utilized microlearning format. These take the form of targeted information on PDFs and eBooks that can be accessed across devices.

Learner Centric

According to a study by Deloitte, on average, the modern learner can only devote 1% of their work week to professional development.

Microlearning courses will enable self-paced and personalized learning particularly for employees who require repetition and distributed practice.

By using their discretion learners can select relevant micro nuggets from a library of content available for self-selection. The microlearning strategy on hyperfocus on specific objectives can help enterprise professionals solve self-identified skills gaps in a compartmentalized and targeted way.

Gamification

In enterprise training, the use of goal-directed gamification in microlearning modules enhances the quality of employee learning by increasing learning engagement.

Gamification increases retention of training while rewards such as points and badges propel the training forward by increasing learner motivation.

Micro-lessons can be reinforced by administering mini-quizzes and gamified assessments as part of the formal training and as Performance Support Tools.

KloudLearn’s Gamification module can leverage your employee’s competitive nature while boosting learning engagement and knowledge retention.

Repurpose Existing Content

Many organizations have vast libraries of training, that can be repurposed to create up to date and relevant content that fits into their updated microlearning curriculum

For example, an hour-long training video can be split up into a cluster of short mini-videos, with clear video titles. These mini-videos can be chunked together to full fill a single learning objective.

Pieces of microlearning can be assigned to specific job roles. For example, Modules can be created for Customer support staff to have easy access to knowledge that will help them respond to difficult customer queries on complex service products.

This will help L&D teams cut costs by not only utilizing existing content but also repurpose it to make it more relevant to a modern workforce.

KloudLearn has an intuitive course authoring tool that makes it easy to add and curate content that will captivate your learners.

Conclusion

The standard models of using instructor-led classroom training and having written exams have become obsolete.

The modern techniques of mobile learning and microlearning blend with the 70/20/10 model of learning. This model states that learners obtain 70 percent of their knowledge on the job, 20 percent from peer interactions, and only 10 percent from actual formal education.

Microlearning and Mobile learning are no longer just seen as “trendy” buzzwords but a practical and effective approach that must be embraced by all future-ready enterprises.