How microlearning is changing education
We’ve embraced microtechnology, micro-influencers and even microdosing. Now, this not-so-small trend is taking over the educational sphere. And it’s big news in nations like South Africa.
Faced with a global pandemic that makes in-person learning impractical, e-learning platforms have led even the most proud luddites into digital classrooms.
A recent release by strategic consulting and market research firm BlueWeave Consulting estimates that smart learning will grow nearly 350% over the next six years. This growth, the consultancy posits, will be driven by an adoption of e-learning solutions, the proliferation of connected devices in the education sector and an increase in the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Aside from the obstacles to traditional classroom-based learning, the shift towards online learning has been boosted by the fact that college- and university-aged learners are now digital natives.
According to Forbes, in 2016, 56% of U.S college students used laptops in class. By 2019%, 81% of students claimed that digital learning helped them to improve their grades. Where there was previously a stigma around e-learning – born from the slew of dodgy online institutions that offered degree certificates for little more effort than a bank transfer – students are now embracing digital tools to gain new skills.
While not an entirely new concept (its origins can be traced back to the 2007 book Didactics of Microlearning) microlearning is a subset of e-learning that has seen a sharp rise in popularity over the past few years. Apps and platforms like Duolingo and Codecademy have brought this gamified approach into the public consciousness and shown us just how useful on-the-fly learning can be.
In contrast to traditional e-learning courses, where chapters and modules develop in an ongoing storyline, microlearning encourages knowledge-building in short bursts. The focus is narrow and learners are given only the information necessary to help them understand a specific concept or obtain a particular skill. Making it perfect for just-in-time learning in the workplace, which enables learners to quickly close knowledge and skills gaps.
Intentionally delivering bite-sized pieces of targeted information in short lessons also makes material easier to digest and increases the likelihood of retention. According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, learners retained 17% more information when exposed to short content as opposed to long-form content. And this is simply down to neuroscience.
The brain is not wired to focus for hours on end and our capacity to focus on a particular task varies wildly from person to person. While some adults are able to sit down for 45 to 50 minutes, others struggle to make it to 20. In addition to this, our working memory will hold only about five new pieces of information before what we’ve learnt is lost or overwritten.
We also thrive on repetition. The longer an idea is kept in our short-term memories, the more chance of it being pushed into long-term memory. This, according to a study from researchers at Northeastern University, can also help to reduce the cognitive overload on students and the burnout that comes with it. Which is partially why microlearning, with its lightning-fast, reiterative lessons, is so effective.
The digital nature of microlearning can also be thanked for its recent rise. The ability to deliver lessons directly to students’ pockets encourages anytime-anywhere learning. It has also seen an increase in completion rates, from about 15% for traditional e-learning courses to as much as 90% for microlearning courses. Additionally, mobile learning brings benefits like push notifications for lesson reminders and lower data usage.
When looked at in conjunction with its ability to bridge skills gaps, the ease of accessibility is possibly one of the most exciting features of microlearning in the context of the developing world.
In a study published in the Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience journal, researchers found that 80% of Libyan learners from various age categories were interested in learning via electronic devices. The respondents showed particular enthusiasm towards learning via video clips, sound recordings, images and graphics – all of which are heavily relied upon in microlearning. Researchers also indicated that 80% of learners surveyed seek a simple, regular learning framework with microcontent to transform their knowledge.
In South Africa, where we are faced with a serious skills shortage, prohibitively high tertiary education costs and astronomic data costs, this compact learning framework has the potential to equip thousands of school-leaving learners with the competencies they need to effectively fill available jobs.
With social distancing here to stay for the foreseeable future, learning approaches that facilitate off-site training have become crucial tools for ongoing learning and development. With many seeing the cost benefits of self-paced, online learning, it’s likely that these platforms will be here to stay far beyond the global pandemic.
While microlearning might fall short on providing a holistic view of more complex topics, it’s abundantly clear that complex lectures and expensive textbooks are out. What’s in are accessible learning platforms that democratise information and encourage focused, on-the-job learning.
