Why Microlearning is the Future of Training

Today’s adult learners have their concentration pulled in more directions, have more responsibilities, and more methods of accessing their training than ever before. It’s essential that their training method acknowledges this and works with them.

Training used to take place in traditional e-learning classrooms, which are often overly rigid and challenging for a variety of learners to connect with. This affects retention, which is an important issue that many instructors face.

How can facilitators remedy this? Microlearning.

As we learned in our on-demand webinar, Microlearning: Going Beyond the Buzzword, with JD Dillon of Axonify, Keith Mahon of State Street Global, Manal Houri of Ericsson, and our very own Ann McDonald, microlearning is more than just a way to grab someone’s attention. It’s a beneficial and integral way to reach your learners.

Microlearning is the future of training because it addresses a fundamental issue: retention. Learners often forget what they learn because they weren’t given the opportunity to apply the material immediately. Microlearning remedies this by allowing them to learn directly in the field.

Conversely, traditional e-learning has a very time-intensive and rigid structure that doesn’t allow for field learning to take place. More often than not, employees need a method of training that will enable them to access what they’ve learned immediately. This is especially true for field employees.

Another problem that training instructors contend with is making knowledge transfer proactive instead of reactive. Microlearning is a multi-channel method of training, meaning that the way students learn is flexible and personalized. Therefore, learning not only meets varying needs but is also proactive.

Training doesn’t exist in a vacuum. As we learned in our on-demand webinar, it’s part of a broader ecosystem. Before you ask your trainees what they learned today, think about what tools you’re providing them and if they’re truly the best ones to meet their varying needs.

[On-Demand Webinar]
As we learned, there’s no one blanket method of training. It’s important to adapt your material and give learners the opportunity to apply what they learned in the field immediately.