What pushes the popularity of micro, small bites learning or learning by snippets and drips?
Focusing on the proximity of work reshapes the role of content. It means that it is the worker who decides what to use and when. Again, as Drs. Job and Ogalo would put it, “Microlearning is a pioneering research aimed at exploring new ways of responding to the growing need of lifelong learning or learning on demand of members of the society, such as knowledge workers.” The learning context of the user or learner is taken into consideration when designing contents. This has a huge impact on the way we design, deliver and make content available to workers. This suggests that workers use the goals of the tasks and have the ability to find the micro-idea to help them do the work.
Adding Depth to Micro-Ideas
My first proposal is to consider using micro-ideas rather than learning. Micro-ideas is less hypocritical since making the idea micro does not suggest learning. What we do have are micro-ideas.
Consider these possible approaches:
Question-driven micro-ideas – collect workers’, users’ and learners’ questions. These are questions on the job where they are asked to define “what they want to do.” This is a goal statement or outcome of a task. For example:
• How do I turn the knob to avoid an explosion?
• What happens if I raise the temperature?
• What is low risk testing?
These questions resonate with learners because they are life-application questions.
Learners learn best and find the lessons more engaging when they are about real-life applications. We can then build real-life application exercises, not memorization tests.
Solutions driven micro-ideas – questions driven micro-ideas necessitate that the worker looks for a solution, not just content. So content must be quick, instant solutions to issues on the job. Why is this important? Micro-ideas must present swift and timely solutions as priority, rather than theory or principles. If you only have a minute to read a solution since you are trying to get the job done, your instant need is how this can solve my problem and why it will work or not. If you want to know more, then you can study the theory or principles which may be presented in other content format. A useful micro-idea instantly matches to a task.
Instead of saying “This is the step that saves time”, you may say “This tip saves 10 hours from turnaround time because it helps you skip the unnecessary step 3.” Referring to the real-life value of a solution or workaround offers immediate reason for the value of the micro-idea.
Build micro-application opportunities – When you look for opportunities to help workers
apply ideas as needed on the job, you refocus your attention on useful micro-ideas, rather than re-purposing content to which we are emotionally committed. For example, designers would say, “let’s develop Microlearning leadership listening skills,” without asking how learners aregoing to benefit by actually applying the ideas to solve a problem. Maybe the need on the job is to ask, “what blocks my mind when Joe is presenting an idea?” The sentence suggests an application opportunity.
Conclusion
Adding depth to micro-ideas means stretching our minds beyond just creating content. Rather,it is delving and understanding the work situation of the learner. If we start with this framework, we will most likely come up with micro-ideas useful to the learner – not just another chopping and dicing of content.
References
Gerhard Gassler, Theo Hug and Christian Glahn: “Integrated Micro Learning – An outline of the basic method and first results”
Dr. Minimol Anil Job, Dr.Habil Slade Ogalo: Micro Learning As Innovative Process of Knowledge Strategy: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY VOL. 1, ISSUE 11, DECEMBER 2012
Ray Jimenez: Small Bites Learning – Fast, Cheap, Flexible and Learners Love Them!
Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
“Helping Learners Learn Their Way”