Micro-learning (micro learning, microlearning) is an emerging learning strategy that involves delivery of content to learners in form of highly focused bite-sized units. It is the next-gen training for a new generation of workforce. Known for its ability to quickly close skill and knowledge gaps, micro-learning is being adopted by organizations globally. This presentation is NIIT’s micro take on micro-learning and provides glimpses on basic implementation principles and the advantages of micro-learning, some examples and use cases along with potential barriers and a micro-learning road-map for your organization.

1. MICRO-LEARNING
Why big isn’t always better!

2. What is micro-learning?
Micro-learning is the process of
learning in short, digestible, well-
planned units.

3. Why do you need micro-learning?
Attention
spans are falling.
Consumption is
increasing.
Technology
is changing.
Traditional training
isn’t working.

4. Millennials in our
workforce
Millennials and
attention spans
By 2025, millennials alone will make up 75
percent of the workforce.
The average attention span of the millennial
generation is 90 seconds.

5. By 2016, we’ll be consuming more than 15 hours of media a day. Even older
adults are consuming more online video than ever before.
Technology is advancing at a rapid pace – so fast, that training can’t
keep up. A digital skills gap has emerged, one that’s costing the US
economy over 1.3 trillion dollars annually in lost productivity.

6. Every year U.S. businesses spend over $160 billion on employee learning and
training, yet classroom training is time-consuming, expensive, and often
ineffective.
Fewer than 15% of participants
successfully apply what they
learn.
Average time spent training is over
30 hours per worker.
One hour of training takes 43 -185
hours to create.
Within 30 days, 80% of content is
forgotten and this figure increases
to 90% after a year.

7. LearnersOrganizations
Faster and cheaper – it is
estimated that micro-learning can
cut development costs by 50%
while increasing the speed of
development by 300%.
More effective – micro-learning
allows maximum benefits
through minimal input, costs are
reduced and the return on
investment increases.
Engagement – combats learner
boredom and disengagement. Short,
focused sessions avoid mental burnout.
Retention – splitting up content into
small, manageable sections makes
learning easier to integrate into long-
term memory.
Application – distributed practice has
been proven to increase performance
by 17% .

8. Micro-learning in action
NIIT implemented a flashcard based micro-
learning module for a client’s sales team to help
them memorize complex product specifications
which are vital for making a sale in their line of
business.
Qualcomm utilized Yammer to implement
group or social learning around the
principles of micro-learning.
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9. Barriers to micro-learning
Prevailing perception of judging learning
quality by length and not by outcome.
Designing for outliners resulting in bloated,
lethargic learning.
Questioning the cost advantage by citing
the cost of change as a barrier to moving to
a bite-size approach. But typically this
calculation ignores the most significant cost
— the participants’ time.

10. Getting bite-size right: principles of micro-learning
1. Keep it short, it’s a good idea to never run longer than 90 minutes
and getting the trainees actively involved after every 10 minutes.
2. Ensure learning units are small and granular when compared to the
total learning objective.
3. If possible utilize a storyboard, It’ll help emphasize critical learning contexts.
4. Make it recursive to allow for a top down understanding.
5. Find and isolate key application points, then build your micro-learning module around them.
6. Develop a mechanism for rapid creation.
7. Use concepts of show, do and tell with lesser emphasis on the latter.

11. Use cases: where
micro-learning
works best
1. Learning languages or topics that require
repetition.
2. Learning the basics of a software application.
3. Understanding business processes and
procedures.
4. Case studies and use cases.
5. Practicing micro skills that build into larger skills.
6. Applying best practices.

12. Will micro-
learning work in
all scenarios?
In some cases micro-learning might not fit the bill
When there is a need to build in depth knowledge
rather than awareness.
When you need to move form novice to fluency on a
particular topic or skill set in a relatively short period
of time.
In certain scenarios micro-learning needs to be
augmented by other learning pedagogies
For long term retention needs.
If the content is not intended for people to
remember, but for use more as performance
support.

13. Your micro-learning roadmap
Determine your
learning needs.
Evaluate if micro-
learning can fulfill
those needs.
Assess if you possess in house
capability to deliver it per plan.
See our best practices
See our best practices
Create micro-learning
modules utilizing rich
media.
Deploy,
Deliver and
Evaluate.

14. Ready for more effective and faster learning experience?
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15. http://www.clomedia.com/
http://www.trainingmag.com/
http://www.wgrovo.com/
References
www.niit.com