Learning through tiny bits: Why microlearning is the future of employee development

Many companies face significant challenges to keep their employees’ knowledge of technology, legal compliance regulations and tools up to date. With the pace of technological progress being much faster than the rate of annual training cycles, employees have to develop their knowledge continuously to meet their daily performance expectations. Microlearning, in the sense of breaking down learning content into bite-sized pieces of usually no more than 2-10 minutes and integrating them into the existing workflow, was developed as an answer to this challenge.

Unlike the traditional definition of microlearning that defines it solely as a short format (e.g., video), today’s microlearning is characterized by its scope and duration as well as the fact that each module addresses a very specific goal, e.g., one process, one change in a law/regulation or one new feature of a product, and can be completed independently.

Corporate learning analyses reveal that, compared to the 20-30% completion rate of traditional e-learning courses, microlearning-based modules complete at a level above 80%. This is due to the fact that the time required to complete a microlearning module seems reasonable to most employees and the content is clear and easy to understand. Furthermore, microlearning has a positive impact on employee productivity since the time spent on training can be reduced by up to 60% according to reports from workplace learning platforms without causing a decrease in the effectiveness of the training. This results in higher levels of employee engagement and productivity – in some cases even doubling the previous levels – since less training time goes unused and the content is much more relevant to the employees’ needs.

Microlearning’s success is highly dependent upon the testing effect, also known as “test-enhanced learning”. The research has proven that the act of taking a memory test not only measures how much a person knows but also strengthens the underlying memory traces, because the act of recalling is a type of practice. Studies that compare groups of students that simply read the same material versus those that were asked to complete multiple low-stakes quizzes after reading the same material demonstrate that the quiz groups consistently score better and retain the information longer.

There are three cognitive science based principles that support the idea of incorporating daily microlearning into your routine: Spacing, Retrieval Practice, and Interleaving. Spacing is the principle of spreading out your practice over a period of time instead of trying to do all of your practicing in one sitting; research demonstrates that spacing improves retention over the long-term regardless of domain. Retrieval Practice is the principle of encouraging the learner to actively retrieve the information they have learned as opposed to simply exposing them to it again; this can include answering questions, creating flashcards, etc. Interleaving is the principle of mixing related topics together to encourage the learner to differentiate between similar concepts and ultimately increase their ability to apply what they’ve learned in new situations.

Scheduling regular check-ins to test the employees’ knowledge on the job (e.g., safety procedures or CRM workflows) and reset the forgetting curve at increasingly higher baselines with just one quiz of the day will help assure that employees have the necessary knowledge available to perform their jobs effectively.

It is important to note that not every microlearning initiative leads to improved performance; the way you create and implement the routine makes a big difference. For microlearning to be effective, the routine must follow three criteria: the routine must clearly define the desired outcome (e.g., “Identify three potential risk indicators in this scenario”), there must be minimal friction to completing the routine, and there must be immediate feedback. Ideally, each microlearning unit should present a clear objective and the route to achieving that objective should be integrated into the existing tools used by the employee (e.g., via links in a collaboration platform or through notifications in productivity software). This minimizes the number of steps an employee must take to access the microlearning module and encourages them to participate in the program.

Length and complexity of the content also require careful consideration. Modules that are either too long or too difficult to complete may compete with the employees’ work responsibilities rather than support them. Industry reports suggest that microlearning modules should be designed to be completed within a 10-minute time frame and focus on one major idea per session to maintain the employee’s cognitive load.

Question-based formats are particularly beneficial if they include a combination of question types (e.g., recall questions, multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions) and provide brief rationales or explanations of why the answer is correct. Providing rationales or explanations helps the employee to solidify their understanding of the subject matter and eliminates the possibility that the employee remembers the answer based on rote memorization alone.