Microlearning: A Perfect Medium for Soft Skills Training

  

    As a teacher in the trenches, I can remember required professional development handed down from our district during the school year being met with eye rolls and sharp criticism. We were trying to keep our heads above water while complying with a multitude of district initiatives, implementing new curricula, curtailing increasing student behavior issues, and preparing for mandatory observation cycles. How would we have time for another training, especially one that may not meet our needs?

What is Microlearning?

    Microlearning offers what those drawn-out and one-size-fits-all trainings lacked. But what is microlearning? Microlearning can be defined as “short bursts of focused right-size content to help people achieve a specific outcome” (Tipton, 2022, p. 38). Let’s dig deeper into that definition. “Short bursts of right-size content” refers to the brevity of the training experience (in other words, the micro- in microlearning). While microlearning can still be considered a complete lesson with content and assessment, it can come in a multitude of formats, such as a short video, quiz, game, podcast, infographic, or daily push notifications from an app (Winger, 2018). The entire learning experience is short and sweet, completed in around 5 minutes or less. Microlearning also focuses on specific outcomes, meaning it is hyper-focused on a sole objective which translates to a specific action that the learners will begin to practice in the real world directly after the training experience.

Microlearning for Soft Skills Training

    Microlearning is a great method for just-in-time training, a tool for performance support in the workplace (Tipton, 2022). Performance support can be offered for technical skills or soft skills. In the case of soft skills, such as problem-solving, I believe microlearning is the perfect medium. Soft skills are essential in the workplace but are often put on the back burner during the bustle of deliverables and deadlines. Microlearning can provide the answer, giving learners an action-oriented, compact lesson on a soft skill they can implement immediately after completing the training.

    The problem-solving microlearning experience I have created fits the mold of a “short burst of right-size content” (Tipton, 2022, p. 38). Hosted by Nearpod, my training consists of an interactive video, 3 minutes and 47 seconds in length. With open-ended and multiple-choice questions that pop up during the video to reinforce comprehension, the learning experience is contained within the 5-minute time frame (depending on how thorough the learner is in their reflections). This training focuses on a specific outcome, the learner will be able to apply the 4-step problem-solving process to a current problem they face in the workplace. With this microlearning experience, learners are provided performance support in the realm of problem-solving.

    Microlearning is a fast-growing trend in instructional design, and for good reason. Microlearning is accessible, offers bite-sized content for easier processing, and has been found to increase retention by 20% (Winger, 2018). There are many reasons to make the next training you create a microlearning experience. What are you waiting for?

View my microlearning experience here:

Navigating the Mountain of Problem-Solving Like a Pro

Training Plan & Agenda

    Continue to explore the benefits of microlearning with the articles listed in the Resource Hub. Happy learning!

References

Tipton, S. (2022). Small-scale learning can reap big rewards: Myths about microlearning are preventing the modality from being as effective as it can be. TD Magazine, 76(5), 36–41. https://discovery.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=b09a4dee-c82a-3fe1-bb87-f0cd64bc2b9c

Winger, A. (2018). Supersized tips for implementing microlearning in macro ways. Distance Learning, 5(14), 51–55. https://discovery.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=100206db-3c86-3f0f-8574-981b664b8b3d