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Understanding effective microlearning and the science behind It

It is through microlearning, with its emphasis on how people best retain knowledge, that companies will keep their teams competitive over the long term.

In any industry, upskilling, reskilling and training are paramount for employee satisfaction and growth and business momentum. For instance, upskilling in healthcare is essential for ensuring clinical professionals understand the latest research and technologies available to improve patient outcomes. High-quality training is vital for sales reps pushing new products and closing deals with boots-on-the-ground experts. In high-consequence disciplines, such as food manufacturing and preparation, workers must understand critical industry regulations to avoid creating additional risk or putting people’s lives in danger. These are only a few examples that highlight how important it is to keep workforces sharp and engaged, and organizations moving forward.

This is easier said than done: many organizations today do not invest in their workforces effectively, especially in the hybrid work era. HR teams must rethink how they are delivering training and development opportunities to their employees so that they are truly reinforcing knowledge and increasing employee proficiency. This requires a shift away from more traditional methods of professional development, which focuses on attending long training sessions or reading unwieldy manuals. Here’s how companies today can take a new approach to learning and development that leverages microlearning.

Understanding Effective Microlearning and the Science Behind It
Microlearning can be hard to define. One succinct definition from Carla Torgerson, a critical instructional designer and strategist, in her book “The Microlearning Guide to Microlearning,” is “an educational experience that is focused, short and effective.”1 What this definition fails to specify are the brain-science research findings that should be integrated into microlearning to make it effective. The first is the ‘spacing effect’ which refers to our ability to recall information with greater accuracy when we are exposed to that information in multiple sessions delivered at strategic intervals. The second is the ‘testing effect’ which refers to the research finding that testing of learned material does not serve merely to evaluate a learner’s performance. Rather, the act of testing alters the learning process itself and significantly improves long-term knowledge retention.

Data from over 20 large, randomized trials conducted at Harvard Medical School prove that microlearning that incorporates the spacing and testing effects is extremely effective. In one trial of 1,067 students from four U.S. medical schools, microlearning intervention generated a 170% improvement in core medical knowledge (compared to controls) when measured five months later.2  This approach to microlearning can also improve behaviors, not just knowledge. In a trial involving 95 clinicians in eight northeastern Veterans Affairs hospitals, microlearning that incorporated the spacing and testing effects was able to reduce inappropriate cancer screening behaviors by 40% (compared to controls) when measured over a year after the intervention.3 Although research subjects were medical students and doctors, the science underlying microlearning methodology applies to other humans too!

The data clearly demonstrate that microlearning platforms should incorporate the spacing and testing effects in order to boost their effectiveness. However, not all platforms do this, which is where learning and development professionals need to be careful in their market research.

More traditional approaches to employee professional development certainly do not take advantage of these core learning pillars. Educators in every industry and setting can improve learner retention, performance and proficiency with greater effectiveness, so long as they leverage the spacing and testing effects through sophisticated microlearning platforms, i.e., solutions designed specifically around how the brain works.

Other Considerations When Upgrading L&D
What separates good microlearning platforms from great ones is the level of data that is available about employee performance over time. What leaders need are detailed insights about how well people take in new information and where there is an opportunity for improvement. When designed well, microlearning platforms should identify where additional coaching would be useful and where knowledge gaps exist across the organization more broadly. This is the insight decision-makers need to truly elevate their learning and development programs. Fortunately, top-notch microlearning platforms offer both the clarity and the means to make this happen.

Going forward, microlearning is the solution for organizations that want to upgrade how they invest in employee capabilities. It is through microlearning, with its emphasis on how people best retain knowledge, that companies will keep their teams competitive over the long term.

References:
(1) Torgerson, C.  The Microlearning Guide to Microlearning. Torgerson Consulting, 2016.

(2) Kerfoot BP, Shaffer K, McMahon GT, et al. Online “Spaced Education Progress-Testing” of Students to Confront Two Upcoming Challenges to Medical Schools. Academic Medicine 2011 Mar;86(3):300-6.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21248600/

(3) Kerfoot BP, Lawler EV, Sokolovskaya G, Gagnon D, Conlin PR. Durable improvements in prostate cancer screening from online spaced education a randomized controlled trial. Am J Prev Med 2010;39:472-8.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20965387/

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