Benefits of Microlearning for Different Companies

Companies today face a host of pressures when it comes to learning and development (L&D) – and with the influx of younger, less experienced workers, the stakes have never been higher. Shorter attention spans combined with extremely limited time and the need for individualized training are making microlearning a must-have for the future of corporate learning. 

The benefits of microlearning are clear. Microlearning, which breaks learning content into small, sized pieces, not only accommodates short attention spans. It also improves employee retention and makes it more manageable for workers to upgrade their skills. When properly implemented, microlearning can also help companies keep up with the fast pace of business today, providing just-in-time training at their employees’ fingertips allowing them to quickly put their learning to work wherever they may be.  

We believe that microlearning has become an essential component of corporate learning because it helps to directly correlate training efforts with business results. So, the question is not how do you decide whether microlearning is right for your company. Rather, it’s time to ask yourself – how does microlearning fit into your learning and development strategy?

• What kinds of skills do you need your employees to learn?

The key to a good microlearning experience is to deliver short bursts of content and reinforce the learning for better absorption. Microlearning is highly effective in helping employees develop skills that can be mastered in little time. It is an ideal companion to more in-depth training program in which the user can develop many of the sub-skills necessary to a deeper expertize.  

• Do they have to complete their training on a given topic in a particular order?

The answer to this question will dictate some of the features your microlearning platform might require. For example, if your employees need to complete their training in a particular order, you will need a system capable of “locking” the content until the previous training has been completed. Whereas, if training is non sequential in nature, this feature is less important.

• Do you have a distributed workforce?

Microlearning can significantly reduce training costs for a distributed workforce. As companies become increasingly more global, it can be next to impossible to bring employees together for in-person training or seminars. Microlearning allows content to be delivered anywhere both on-demand and in real time with technologies that can also provide the ability for your learners to interact with the content and each other.

• Will the learning experience be optional or required?

One important consideration when deciding what types of content to deliver as microlearning is how much flexibility your company allows employees to take advantage of microlearning opportunities. Companies interested in implementing a successful microlearning program must be willing to foster a culture of learning that not only encourages employees to build their skills but also allows them the time to do it. Fortunately, microlearning – with training content delivered in short lessons, usually less than 10 minutes long – makes it easier than ever for companies to make that commitment.    

• What kind of security do you need?

One of the chief benefits of microlearning is that it is very well suited to mobile platforms. devices. Naturally, many employees – especially those whose jobs keep them on the go – will want to access learning content on their own devices, which can introduce security concerns. Given this, security is an important consideration when deciding what type of platform to use for delivering microlearning content. If your training content includes sensitive, proprietary information you want to keep out of the hands of your competitors, you may need to consider cloud platforms that transfer information over encrypted connection with access to user data limited to the application server.

• How will you deliver microlearning content?

Your employees want to learn. While microlearning can be offered on desktops and laptops, it is especially well suited to mobile devices. Making training content accessible through employees mobile devices will allow them to learn anywhere and anytime, extending the value of your investment in microlearning.

When it comes to microlearning, flexibility is key. Introducing microlearning into your training and development programs will not only offer enormous flexibility for your employees to develop much-needed skills – it demands a different kind of flexibility from you.

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