Applications in Education

Recap

Lots of people using mobile devices, very busy, want to be able to learn on the go. So we can apply microlearning strategies to create bite-sized content suitable for the desired learning outcome (pedagogy and content) and make this available in a mobile-friendly or a mobile native app (technology).

Now, thinking about the applications of microlearning in education.

Have you noticed any examples of microlearning in your own setting, whether it is formal or informal?

Are your students googling for just in time answers from the web?

Example applications

There are many ways to use the microlearning approach to deliver learning lessons to your "students".

Let's look at a few example of applying microlearning in formal education context.

Source: Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of Washington. (n.d.). Flipped classroom explained. [Image]. Retrieved from: https://www.washington.edu/teaching/teaching-resources/engaging-students-in-learning/flipping-the-classroom/

1. Using microlearning to support flipped classroom

Omer (2018) proposed 5 ways microlearning can support flipped classrooms in corporate setting. It can be used to introduce a scenario for the learners before class, so they can focus on problem solving tasks during class time.

In K-12 or Higher Ed, here are some ideas for using microlearning in flipped classroom:

Introducing simple concepts,
Overview of higher level concepts for more complex ideas,
Introducing a case study or scenario to be worked on in class,
Recap of key concepts with interactive practices,
Provide some materials to provoke thinking,
As a prompt for students to engage in other tasks (e.g., brainstorming, research, survey data collection) before class,
As a procedural reminder, for example, steps in their project-based inquiry or steps in mixing chemicals,
... etc.

Source: Saxena, S. (2014, April 23). STEM and STEAM science word cloud. [Image]. Retrieved from: http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/1122-stem-to-steam-learning-learning-science-in-the-21st-century

2. Using microlearning to support high school students learning science (Nikou & Economides, 2017)

This is an example of using microlearning to support factual knowledge learning and retention, which has potential to be replicated in other subjects.

A 5-week experimental study on senior high level science students in Europe. Control group used conventional paper-based homework and the treatment group used a mobile-based microlearning and assessment as homework activities. Students reported greater satisfaction with the mobile-based micro-activities and assessments over the conventional methods. They also "improved students' exam performance in terms of factual knowledge" (p. 269).

Source: Boparai, H. (2016, April 30). Gamification at workplace. [Image]. Retrieved from: https://www.netsolutions.com/insights/how-gamification-can-take-digital-employee-engagement-to-the-next-level/

3. Using microlearning and gamification for quality improvements in healthcare (Orwoll et al., 2017)

This is an example of using both microlearning and gamification for nurses to prevent errors in healthcare.

An app was developed, for this intervention study. The app integrated just-in-time microlearning with explanations of prevention bundle elements and on-demand video demos. This was given to one unit of nurses, whereas other units served as control groups. This intervention ran for 12 months. The result showed that the rate of error for (CLABSI, central line-associated blood stream infections) decreased by 48% whereas no significant changes observed for control groups.

Source: McLennan Community College. (n.d.). Corporate training. [Image]. Retrieved from: http://www.mclennan.edu/cortraining/

4. Using Microlearning to reinforce previous training

Paul (2016) suggested that microlearning is better suited for something familiar for the employees It can be used as a recap lesson to reinforce previous training. It can be used as part of a wider e-learning module to support employees remembering important knowledge for their work.

5. Other corporate use cases (Pandey, 2017)

Formal training,
Pre/post reinforcement to online, ILT training or formal training,
As just-in-time learning aids.

More corporate examples are in the Additional Resource section in the References page.

Application

Can you think of how you might use the microlearning strategies in your educational setting?

Conclusion

There is an increase interest in providing flexible learning for our busy learners. This created great interest in m-learning, but not all online content are designed with the mobile delivery in mind. Yet the importance of well thought-out mlearning cannot be overlooked. Combining mlearning and microlearning, with the help of the right technology can be another tool in our toolkit to support learning and teaching.

This offers lots of opportunities to enhance learning. Be ware that, there can be a tendency to focus on content or factual based learning with this approach.

Use the tools appropriately and always think critically about the tools and approaches when creating learning content for your learners!

Hopefully this resource has been helpful in some ways. Some information about this resource, myself, additional resources and the reference list is in the next section for your interest.

My Reflection

After learning more about the potential of combining mlearning and microlearning, I want to keep these concept in mind with my future learning design work. Carefully assess if any of the microlearning strategies could be used to enhance student learning experience.

I would also like to challenge myself to apply these strategies in my work supporting staff in using technologies in their courses.

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