You have surely heard the term Microlearning often. But how can you really implement the method in a course? We give you practical tips and show you an example of how to implement it!
Update September 2020
The Ultimate Microlearning Guide for Online Courses
Get started with your own Microlearning course! In our new guide, you will learn step by step how to build your own online course in the Microlearning style. With many helpful tips, tricks, and examples.
To remind you: Microlearning describes learning in small bites. The method aims to simplify the learning process by dividing the content into small learning units. This increases the motivation of the participants – and consequently their learning success!
Good and well – you have surely heard the definition before. But do you know how to use Microlearning for the training of your employees? In the following, we will show you a real example course on how simple the implementation of Microlearning is and what you should consider.
Basics: What makes good content for Microlearning?
Learning content in the sense of the Microlearning method should meet the following four characteristics:
Good Microcontent is...
simple and accessible from any device.
individual and tailored to your participants.
precise and gets to the point.
part of a larger learning concept.
You should always keep these features in mind when creating learning content. Precision and simplicity are the keys to learning success!
One more reading tip for you: 3 rules for creating learning bites
Good content also needs suitable media to achieve the desired learning effect. Because not every content is suitable for every medium. For example, you should not represent processes as text but rather use videos or task simulations.
These media and methods are well suited for Microlearning content:
Infographics present information clearly and more easily.
Quizzes are suitable for questioning and repeating the learning content.
Videos under 3 minutes long are suitable for short attention spans.
playful learning content, e.g., through gamification, triggers the play instinct.
Practical examples and real scenarios connect theory and practice.
Simulated tasks bring the learner into a real learning environment.
Tip: If your content is more extensive, you can easily split it into several learning units!
Learning units according to the Microlearning method: Simply divide content into several pieces.
You don’t have to stick to one medium, because most can be easily combined with each other. Before we start with the example, we have one more piece of assistance for you.
5 Tips for Your Microlearning Course
1. Each learning unit should only ever contain one core statement:
If the content you want to convey is more extensive, split it into several small units. Otherwise, your participants' attention will suffer.
2. The processing time for each learning unit should not exceed two minutes:
“A blink should last a maximum of two minutes. Some trainers set five minutes as the limit, but based on our experience, two minutes is better. More than two minutes isn’t fun for me as a participant and doesn’t hold my attention.” – Konstantin, founder of blink.it.
You can find more information about this in the article “The 2-Minute Concept.”
3. The chosen medium should match your learning units:
To quickly convey information, especially videos, graphics, or quizzes are suitable. To ensure your statements are precise, the speaker clock (a tool to structure videos in 60 seconds) is a good support. You should limit quizzes to three to four short questions; you can integrate them more frequently into your course.
4. Test your online course before passing it on to your participants:
Once your course is complete, you should check how long the processing time actually is. You can either work through the course yourself or find a “test learner.” Stop the time while doing so and obtain external feedback.
5. Do not publish your learning content all at once:
To avoid overwhelming your course participants, you should release your learning content one after the other. Time your chapters and prefer to regularly publish short learning units instead of overwhelming the participants with a complete course.
Now we can start with the example:
Practice: Here is what your Microlearning online course can look like
Step 1: The Introduction
For a friendly introduction, you should greet your participants in advance and announce the intended learning objective. A short introductory video is suitable for this, in which you explain what your course has to offer them. It should not be too long and should create excitement for the upcoming course.
In an additional learning unit, you can summarize the learning objective or provide a rough outline in bullet points. And then, you can start with your online course in the Microlearning format!
Own presentation 1: Example course for your Microlearning / Introduction and greeting
Step 2: Assembling the Learning Bites
Next, you can start with your first learning unit. Combine different media for each topic. Each unit should be as short as possible and convey only one core message.
End the chapter with a short quiz with a maximum of 2-4 questions (depending on the number of previous learning units). This way, participants can test whether they have really understood the content. You can apply this structure to any number of chapters and topics!
Basic structure: Content - Content - Content - Quiz
Own presentation 2: Example course for your Microlearning / Combine media and integrate quizzes
Step 3: Timing and Conclusion
To ensure your course participants are not overwhelmed by the number of learning units, you should release them gradually. Depending on what your software allows, you can release the content directly one after the other or at specific times. This also ensures that participants work through the learning units in the correct order and do not skip any topics.
A short exam makes sense for the successful conclusion of your online course. This way, you can check whether your participants have successfully completed your course. After passing the test, you can issue them a certificate confirming their participation. This also contributes to motivation during the learning process!
Own presentation 3: Example course for your Microlearning / Final exam at the end of the course
Overview: The Finished Course
An online course following the Microlearning method consists of many small, very precise learning units. How extensive the entire course should be depends on you and the content you want to convey. So if you combine different media, your entire online course could look like this – of course, you can also add more chapters:
Own presentation 4: Example course for your Microlearning / Your finished course
Would you like to implement these tips yourself and are looking for a suitable platform for your online course in the Microlearning style? Then book your free admin demo for blink.it now and easily take your learning content online!
