Microlearning

        Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are the three broad learning theories most often utilized in the creation of instructional environments. These theories, however, were developed in a time when learning was not impacted through technology. Over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn. Learning needs and theories that describe learning principles and processes, should be reflective of underlying social environments.

       Including technology and connection making as learning activities begins to move learning theories into a digital age. We can no longer personally experience and acquire learning that we need to act. We derive our competence from forming connections.

       Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories. Learning is a process that occurs within nebulous environments of shifting core elements – not entirely under the control of the individual. Learning  can reside outside of ourselves  is focused on connecting specialized information sets, and the connections that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of knowing. Connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired. The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital. The ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday is also critical.

       The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe. Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today. A real challenge for any learning theory is to actuate known knowledge at the point of application. When knowledge, however, is needed, but not known, the ability to plug into sources to meet the requirements becomes a vital skill. As knowledge continues to grow and evolve, access to what is needed is more important than what the learner currently possesses. Connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity. How people work and function is altered when new tools are utilized. The field of education has been slow to recognize both the impact of new learning tools and the environmental changes in what it means to learn. Connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks needed for learners to flourish in a digital era.

Background 

         Microlearning  has been around for a few years but recently has been gaining in popularity as new approaches and tech tools allow designers to create microlearning experiences. Microlearning experiences are short, targeted, and direct learning experiences focused on specific content. 

               Learn  more  from https://news.elearninginside.com/microlearning-essentials/

What Characteristics Define Microlearning Essentials?

    As Sherman Morrison (2017) has stated that any attempt to adequately define microlearning essentials is difficult because there is no widespread consensus among learning professionals about what qualifies, so it does feel like a moving target. However, sifting through the best information sources out there does result in some common threads as described below:

Asset Duration. Some will say a microlearning asset should be less than five minutes while others say 5-10 minutes and yet others will say less than 15 minutes. Rather than focusing on trying to create some kind of hard-and-fast rule, it’s better to think in terms of “as long as necessary” or “right-sized” for the audience, content and learning objective. There is always going to be a need for longer courses and modules, but what microlearning challenges eLearning professionals to do is really break something down into the smallest core elements as possible. Take a 30-minute compliance course and break it down into 3 five-minute assets and suddenly people can grab each session whenever they have five minutes to spare. That’s microlearning in action.

One Learning Objective per Asset. Because the goal is the shortest duration possible, each asset can only address one objective. For a traditional course, there is usually a terminal objective, the big picture of what learners should be able to do or know at the end, as well as a bunch of smaller enabling objectives of specific skills that get them there. A microlearning asset must only address one enabling objective, and even those may need to be broken down into smaller objectives. Any time you can break an enabling objective down further, the better it will fit within microlearning essentials.

Accessibility. Millennials are especially vocal about wanting to have more control over what they learn and when they learn it, and microlearning has the potential to do exactly that. It needs to be easy to find and accessible from any type of device from desktops to laptops to tablets to phones and even wearables (watches, glasses, etc.). In essence, this is a significant shift towards a “pull” model as opposed to the more traditional “push” model of getting learning content out to learners. Instead, employees will pull in what they need to their device of choice when they need it, which means it needs to be as accessible as a conducting a quick Google search.

Interactivity. Traditional long-form approaches overload learners with content, which gets in the way of them interacting with the material. There’s no room for doing anything active with the content that would help learners make it their own and retain it because the goal is to keep plowing through all that material, thereby divorcing it from its application context.

Relevance. The best microlearning happens when a person encounters a problem or question and can immediately pull in a microlearning asset that addresses their issue. This can be thought of as “just-in-time” learning. And if the asset needed doesn’t exist, the company learning department should be able to create it quickly and efficiently. After all, it only needs to be a matter of minutes in terms of duration. But just because it’s short doesn’t mean it’s not a complete learning moment or cycle. When designed correctly, a microlearning asset is a bite-sized, highly relevant bit of learning content that can be immediately applied.

Reference 

Sherman Morrison  “MICROLEARNING ESSENTIALS: THE WHAT AND WHY” October 09, 2017 , Retrieve from https://news.elearninginside.com/microlearning-essentials/

Case study  of  Microlearning  

What makes microlearning experiences successful? How to create effective microlearning experiences.  

5 Microlearning Commandments To Create You Own Microlearning

      John Eades ( 2014) states that  Microlearning is a way of teaching and delivering content to learners in small, very specific bursts. The learners are in control of what and when they’re learning. Why has Microlearning has blown up recently? (Pardon the pun) To answer this question, you have to take a look at who comprises a majority of learners. By 2025, Millennials alone will make up that 75 percent of the workforce. The average attention span of the Millennial generation is 90 seconds.  There is a list of the 5 commandments of microlearning anyone can use as they begin to create their own microlearning.

1. Assign One Learning Objective Per Asset
   We define a Learning Objective by what the learner will do or know after they consume the asset. So focus on just one learning objective; this way, the learner will know exactly what they need to focus on to ensure knowledge is transferred. The more objectives you try to introduce, the longer your content will be. Ultimately, you’ll lose your audience.

2. Use Video
   70% of Millennials visit YouTube monthly. They simply prefer video over other mediums.

3. Production Quality Matters
   Technology has made it so nearly everyone has the ability to create video – whether it’s on a smartphone, tablet, a professional camera, or a GoPro. But bad video can take away from good content. It doesn’t take much to enhance your video quality without spending a lot of money. Try using natural light from a window, shoot in a quite room, and set up your camera slightly above your eye level. If you’re looking for more tips on creating quality video, check out Wistia’s learning center.

4. Timing is Everything
   Remember that 90-second statistic? Microlearning videos should be 4 minutes or less. Learners want to get straight to the point. When creating scripts for video, a good rule of thumb to follow is 120 words for every minute of video. Making a short, content-rich video requires the ability to self-edit. Take a good look at the content, and eliminate ALL the fluff. If your content is still longer than 4 minutes, you’re probably breaking the first commandment.
   Here are a couple of tips: First, don’t waste time in a video talking about something a learner can download and review outside of the video. Second, assume your audience is intelligent. Don’t waste time telling them how to navigate through the videos (these are tech savvy people). And please don’t talk down to them or add insincere dialogue.

5. Prove Learning Took Place
   When you build your content, think about how you will know learning took place. Instead of just asking them to answer a couple multiple choice questions, ask them to demonstrate their knowledge. For example, if you’re teaching personal branding, you could ask learners to send a video of themselves delivering a 30-second elevator speech. This not only allows to prove learning took place, but also creates the opportunity for coaching and improvement.
   After all, learning shouldn’t be a one-time event. Instead, it should be an evolving and adaptive process that creates a unique and personalized experience for each learner.

Reference 

John Eades(2014)."Why Microlearning Is HUGE And How To Be A Part Of It" Retrieved from 

  https://elearningindustry.com/why-microlearning-is-huge

Tools   for  create Video Youtube.

CANVA