Microlearning is a training delivery modality in which learners receive short, targeted nuggets of relevant information that are each 2-5 minutes long. These bite-sized learning modules can be easily integrated into an employee’s training life cycle to gain maximum outcomes. By breaking down large modules of information into manageable pieces, employees will be more likely to remember and apply the knowledge to their work. Furthermore, the mapping of microlearning into an employee learning journey will help in keeping employees engaged for the long term, thus, enhancing the employee retention rate and reducing the attrition rate.
According to the Training Trends Report 2022, 25% of leaders picked microlearning as the most effective strategy in their organization.
Learning leaders must be strategic about mapping microlearning into the employee training lifecycle to gain maximum benefits. This means considering what content will be most beneficial for employees and when they need it most. By being thoughtful about these details, learning leaders can ensure that microlearning mapped in the employee training lifecycle is an effective training technique for employees.
Steps for Successfully Integrating Microlearning Into the Employee Training Lifecycle
The following steps can help learning and development (L&D) departments map employee training life cycle and microlearning seamlessly.
Determine Training Objectives
Each learner has different learning needs, so it is imperative to figure out goals and implement an employee training plan against them. Some basic questions should be answered before creating a learning module, such as, what problems do you want to solve? What learning outcomes do you want to accomplish? These are a few questions for which learning leaders find answers before going ahead.
Convert Learning Goals to Complete Course
After the main goals have been decided, courses can be created with specific learning objectives. It is recommended not to cut out a small video from a long 1-hour video. Instead, there has to be a whole learning objective covered in one single microlearning training module.
Put Continuous Learning into Practice
Short video modules are an effective way to learn when implemented in the continuous learning processes. They can be accessed multiple times for spaced repetition and to quickly find answers to anything the learner does not remember. This makes microlearning modules valuable for learners who want to improve their knowledge and skills.
Learning in the Flow of Work
Employees often have hectic work schedules that make it challenging to find time to take training and development courses separately. It is advised that learning be integrated into the flow of work so that learners can access and finish courses whenever and wherever they choose.
Outcomes Evaluation is Necessary
Learning leaders need to analyze training program outcomes and find the challenging areas to optimize learning and connect it back to an employee’s job performance. A robust learning management system (LMS) that helps assign personalized content to learners is critical to the success of learning programs in such cases.
The abovementioned steps will help learning leaders integrate microlearning into an employee training lifecycle. Let’s explore two employee training program examples and how microlearning can be mapped into them.
Compliance Training
The compliance training modules can be pushed to employees through gentle reminders. The recommendations are to create highly focused micro-learning content containing just the facts to engage learners and imbibe learning easily during a busy work day. The eternal goal of the compliance employee training plan should be to integrate compliance training into the daily or weekly workflow of the employees; successful training execution helps in easy knowledge retention.
Employees must stay focused on the work at hand while learning new content; thus, the training modules must be created in a way that is both engaging and simple to understand.
Onboarding Training
When employees first join a company, they may feel overwhelmed with how much information they need to absorb. Incorporating gamification in microlearning modules will be a winning strategy in such cases. Activities such as scavenger hunts and earning badges or points after completion of each section will help employees feel like they are part of the company culture and be more engaged with their work.
Conclusion
Microlearning is an excellent employee training and development technique, but it’s essential to use it wisely to gain the most benefit. Microlearning may have a significant impact if learning leaders properly align their design, delivery, and strategy with the right employee training lifecycle objective. The strategies mentioned above will help sail smoothly.
Are you ready to step up your corporate training programs? Our L&D professionals will gladly assist you. Let’s Talk!
