A microlearning success story

Microlearning solves many of the challenges set by today’s workplace environment. It’s no wonder, then, that organisations are increasingly using it. More of that later, but first…

The bite-size  guide to microlearning

1. Backed by science 

The first thing to know about microlearning is that it’s based on science. We know from scientific research that the brain processes and stores information much better, when ‘little, often and repeated’ learning techniques are used. There are three proven principles behind this.

The spacing effect

German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that recall improves when the learning is revisited after a certain space of time.  

Retrieval practice

This involves returning to knowledge already learned and being retested on it. By repeating the practice, knowledge gaps can be identified and filled by a ‘refresh’.

Confidence-based learning

Dr James Bruno, a professor of education at UCLA, found four stages on the route to mastery: Misinformed (mistakes), Uninformed (paralysis), Doubt (hesitation) and Mastery (informed action). Confidence-based learning, used in microlearning, focuses on the gap between what people think they know and what they actually know to reach topic mastery.

In easy-to-digest terms, when these three principles are brought together, they boost absorption and retention, so the learning can be applied with correct confidence.