Here at Video Arts, we believe learning should be fun, easy and accessible and that you can change the way people behave at work if you engage them emotionally with entertaining content. But to do this, you need to adopt the right sort of learning technique, and that’s where microlearning comes in!
Did you know that humans have a shorter attention span than a goldfish? It’s no joke; a 2015 study by Microsoft revealed that a goldfish has an attention span of nine seconds, while a human’s attention span is around eight seconds. In this ever-increasing digital age, when you can access information on multiple platforms in an instant, that time limit is decreasing (in 2003 humans had an attention span of 12 seconds) and it’s only going to get worse.
So how do you combat short attention spans when trying to develop areas of training within your workplace? Well, the saying goes, “when you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”, so it’s time to start delivering smaller chunks of learning content – this is what is called microlearning. But how and why does microlearning work?
The theory behind microlearning is that short, repetitive learning increases long-term comprehension rates. The concept, sometimes referred to as ‘spaced learning’, is by no means new. German psychologist, Hermann Ebbinghaus, was the first psychologist to systematically study learning and memory in the late 19th century. He found that progressive injections of new knowledge have a rapid memory decay in the brain so repeated practice spread out over periods of time is a much better way of learning that when it occurs closer together or at the same time.
And it makes sense. How many have been to a training day and by 2pm – if not before – your mind has started to wander? If learners have to digest only small chunks of information that is easily and readily accessible, not only will it make comprehension easier, but because learners can take it at their own pace and convenience, they will be less likely to switch off and more likely to retain the information that is given to them.
Microlearning has become critical to the e-learning landscape. Don’t get left behind.
Video Arts is an award-winning e-learning provider, renowned for delivering corporate training in an entertaining and memorable way through video. Get in touch to find out how we can help you incorporate microlearning into your company’s training infrastructure.
