How can you create engaging microlearning content that boosts professional development?

Online courses offer a higher amount of flexibility for the learners. They can reach out to a variety of contents beyond the constraints of time and geographic boundaries. They turn out to be more economical too in many cases. However, the lack of opportunity of direct, face to face interaction between the instructor and trainer could be a setback of this method, especially with the people who are more comfortable with the traditional method of learning. The courses which need hands-on training or practical problem solving may benefit much more from the classroom learning. I think a carefully designed phygital approach can be much more appropriate in ensuring the achievement of the learning outcomes.

In my experience, teaching engineering, the combination of practical and theoretical components is needed. The theory could be taught by a combination of short videos, and text. Practical experiences by simulation, and evaluations using interactive tools

In my over ten years of experience, a mixture of the delivery methods described above, prevents the learning experience from been monotonous. What this means is that, as an educator, let there be a mix, once there’s a mix, the learners will always be expectant and would not want to miss your lessons.

Due to our busy schedule, I suggest that we can use videos as the preferred format for microlearning content - for example, showing the audience on how to use specific EdTech tools (instead of reading through step-by-step guide) as well as their affordances. The video resources can also be easily shared within the team and across teams to have greater impact.

Choosing the right format and tool are so important. The online and in person format are so different that you’d want to plan for either scenario. Also, choosing the right tool to deliver content is equally as important. Tools such as Zoom and Meets are vastly different in delivery and utilization therefore planning ahead will save you time and effort.

I agree with the writer of this article, and that’s because, relevant and practical examples are real and they resonate well with the learners. It serves as a connecting point that helps the learners solve problems using domesticated innovations, thereby, improving existing solutions and this eventually makes the impart of knowledge, highly impactful.

I have used this in practical environments where team members learn doing the task. It is way to develop persons from novice to expert.

Focus on the "so what". Learners need to clearly see the direct relevance to their roles, with an emphasis on immediate and practical application of the skill.

This tip/ criterion is extremely crucial in meeting the desired outcome. The microlearning content will prove engaging for the targeted audience provided: a. They associate value and growth to it both professionally and personally b. The presentation of the content succeeds in establishing the "why" it is relevant by speaking to the professional needs of the audience. c. The content and the proposed learning is perceived by the audience as "attainable" with reasonable effort.

Make sure information is short, concise, and digestible. Dont go overboard and provide too much background informations, learners will lose interest. They can learn the details when applying their learning.

One tip I learned from an IDEO course mentioned rituals as being a powerful tool for social interaction and exchange of ideas. I think the same can be said for feedback. Make it a point of meeting with people and checking in. Remember that you might teach someone about the moon, but all they can talk about is the stars. And that can be great. Give people the space to respond genuinely and celebrate their engagement. This is where positive reinforcement can generate culture, and culture generates strong performers as much as leadership does.

Infusing interactivity and feedback into microlearning content makes learning fun as the contributions, views and opinions of the learners helps to know the extent to which learning has taken place. Evaluation and re-engineering can be easily facilitated, through interactivity of learners and feedback mechanism.

Interactivity is key to engaging microlearning. Include interactive elements like clickable buttons, drag-and-drop exercises, or decision-making scenarios. Interactive content keeps learners actively involved and promotes better retention of information. Additionally, provide immediate feedback after each microlearning module or activity. Constructive feedback reinforces correct answers and clarifies misconceptions, creating a dynamic learning experience. Learners appreciate the opportunity to self-assess and receive instant guidance.

Feedback is the central topic of education, I believe in the past 10-20 years. We understand that it is a powerful instrument, and implementing it is a matter of many aspects. Curriculum, timetable, admin, personal experience of a teacher - all these affect how feedback is delivered and used. I prefer instant feedback like goformative app or slightly delayed if it is a case of a big assessment (I still try to provide it as soon as possible).

Interactivity is mandatory but should not imply stressful ways of evaluating learners particularly in andragogic context. Positive feedback and rewards can be helpful.

One thing to keep in mind is that the microlearning content should only have one or two learning objectives so that it is bite-sized and straightforward so that the audience is able to grasp the content more effectively.

For the modern age students learning should be bite-size, unfortunately, the bite-size is decreasing every year. The AI is probably right guessing 5-10 minutes a piece of learning. Attention span and ability of students to process information is the most important factor to consider when planning your lessons.

Ambiguity doesn’t foster learning, it makes it difficult and that’s the truth. Breaking down the learning outcomes into chewable chunks, helps learning to have meaningful impart. It has been tried, tested and proven over time that keeping the learning experience short and simple makes a whole lot of positive difference. The attention span of many learners is short, and they won’t pay attention, once the learning time is unnecessarily long.

In my experience, longer courses struggle with lower completion rates and engagement. By breaking up a longer program into shorter microlearning courses, they are more easily digestible and learners remain focused. Each microlearning course should have one key learning objective and "take home" achievement / task.

Microlearning is fantastic, especially when the delivery of the lesson was designed with the different types of learners in mind. So that learning is achieved, which is essentially the goal of delivering a lesson.

Engage your audience with feedback-driven updates. Regularly update your microlearning content based on feedback from your existing audience. This not only re-engages them but also attracts new learners seeking the latest insights and knowledge.

When you design a micro-course, you should try to keep every lesson fresh and engaging. Avoid front-loading 3-4 days of foundational knowledge without any application or practice exercises. This is especially important when you plan to release each lesson one day at a time. You will likely lose learners by day 2 if there no way to apply the information right away.

Micro learning is fantastic for professional development, especially when content is based on providing snappy, easily accessible actionable insights. However taking a step back when designing micro learning content and looking how the micro parts fit together as a whole, in conjunction with the aims of the learning, is important as well. Not doing this risks learner disengagement as the micro learning can feel disjointed or more challenging without an overall path to progression depending on the goals of everyone involved.

After 27 years full-time as a Lecturer, the feedback I have most consistently read in student course evaluations is honesty and case-related detailed storytelling specific to the week's topic. I have been gifted with teaching graduate and undergraduate social work students. They want to make this world a better place for all. I have no intention of ever retiring!

I would insist on self and active learning methods after top-down classical ways of teaching and learning. Content curation of material available on the internet, with a tool such as scoop.it allows student to involve themselves in discovery of information they never imagined existed. It stimulates their curiosity and critical thinking. They improve their reading and writing competencies.