Hello everyone!
First off, thanks to Vlad and Annie for doing such a fantastic job kicking off this series of Opportunity Forecasts. We’ll do our best to follow it up with another great week of learning and sharing ideas.
Have you ever found yourself overwhelmed by the content in a course or learning module? Like most things, learning can be daunting when the tasks and topics feel large and unmanageable and the sheer volume of the work that has to be done can have a negative impact on our ability to do the work that’s required of us. If you can relate to this feeling, then this week should be relevant to you!
This week we will be diving into Microlearning and we’re excited to take you all on a journey through this topic. This field is undergoing an incredible amount of change and expansion as the proliferation of mobile devices, mobile data, and AI are opening up new avenues for learning in small chunks of content whenever, however, and wherever it works for the learner. Excitingly, access to this style of learning is now available to K-12 students, professionals, adult learners – really, anybody looking to learn something new.
In the spirit of authenticity, we have attempted to incorporate elements of Microlearning into each stage of this week’s learning experience, with a series of videos and activities designed to keep you engaged and thinking deeply without overwhelming you with too much information. We hope you enjoy it!
*** Click here to access this week’s OER ***
Please note that the last activity for this week requires us to create a temporary account for you so you can access a Microlearning module that we created. We intentionally chose a platform that made this as straightforward as possible but we do need you to submit an email address via this form so please do so as soon as possible because it will take us some time to create accounts for each individual user. If you need any help or have any questions, please use the comments below.
Wrap Up & Reflection Instructions
- How has microlearning shaped your learning journey so far? Now that you have a clear definition, have you had any experience with Microlearning thus far? Have they been positive or negative?
- Are you excited to try new kinds of microlearning some day soon? Given how manageable it is to learn in this framework, are you motivated to seek out opportunities for career advancement or skill development via opportunities that use microlearning?
- In your opinion, what is the most important benefit of microlearning? Microlearning is great for many reasons but, for you, is it the ease of use? The way it can adapt to your schedule? The bite-sized chunks and regular use that promote memory and retention?
Once you have finished all of the sections in the OER, please return to this blog post and respond to at least one of the questions below so we can reflect on this topic together and exchange thoughts and opinions on where things are headed in the future.
- Have fun!
Hi team, thank you so much for an interesting learning experience. I love that you have a video at the beginning of each “module” to capture the main content. It made the process of analyzing through the fine text afterwards much easier to understand and more enjoyable.
I’m definitely excited to try more structured microlearning experiences in the future. The idea that I can build real skills, whether technical, creative, or professional just a few minutes at a time is really motivating. It lowers the barrier to starting something new, which is huge when time or energy is limited.
In my opinion, the most important benefit of microlearning is how well it fits into a busy lifestyle. For me, it’s a combination of adaptability and memory retention. Because the content is small and repeated, I actually remember more. Plus, I can study during commutes, while waiting in line, or in short breaks throughout the day. It feels manageable and productive, which is a rare combination.
In my company, there has been conversations on creating micro-learning contents for DEI topics too. It’s expected to be mandated, so learners are expected to carve out time in their busy schedule to take them. I wonder how this will affect the learning motivation….
Finally, i’m excited to try your microlearning module. A note: on the account request form, I was not able to type in my name, so maybe the team can help revise this field? Fyi, my email is hv******@gmail.com
Thank you so much team for the great work.
Hi Annie,
Thank you for the kind words! And also for catching that issue with the form… it is now fixed and everyone should be able to enter their name.
I tend to share your view that the best thing about Microlearning is how you can fit it in when and where it works best. There are also a lot of exciting developments ahead as companies really begin to harness the power of AI and other technologies but in the present moment it’s tough to beat the sheer convenience of this style of learning.
FYI – Your account has been created and you should have received an email directly from SafetyCulture with your password. This is our first time using this tool and spam filters can get pretty aggressive so if you didn’t receive your login info, please let me know and I will get it figured out for you. I hope you enjoy the module!
Thanks everyone for the great interactions so far. Those of you who requested access to the Microlearning course on AI should have emails in your inbox. If not (spam filters can be pretty aggressive these days) please send me a direct message in Canvas and I’ll get things figured out for you.
Enjoy the rest of the week!
Hey Ken and Griffin!
Great job. I really appreciated how your group embedded the concept into the design of your OER! This is something that Annie and Vlad did too, and it’s great to see your concepts in theory as well as practice!
What I appreciate about micro-learning is that the learning is structured in bite-sized, manageable chunks from the outset. As someone who struggles to initiate a task when the task or learning feels too overwhelming, micro-learning itself is really helpful with the “getting started” or activation part of the learning for me.
The structure itself is conducive to building momentum as a learner. This OER is a good case in point because I went into your OER expecting to just check out the first couple of pages, but I managed to work my way through your entire OER, engage in the padlet, and engage in this discussion. I credit that to the micro-learning design of your OER!
Hi everyone! Thanks again for the great participation so far. Everyone who has requested an account for the Microlearning Module should have received their password by now.
You can access the course here: https://app.safetyculture.com/trainings/course/684cf435a472a93da754f341
Or by visiting the “Microlearning & AI” page on our EOR and scanning the QR code.
Hello Griffin and Ken, you’ve done an amazing job on your website, making it clear, informative, and engaging. Answering your question about how microlearning has shaped my learning journey, I would use my recent house renovations shenanigans and all the microlearning I had to do during that time. I think quick and focused videos helped me learn how to do things like tile a backsplash, remove a popcorn ceiling, and patch a drywall without getting frustrated and overwhelmed. The ability to have the information I needed at my fingertips, in a bite-sized format, was crucial as I was able to learn exactly what I needed, when I needed it most, making the renovation process much more manageable. I think this could be a great and positive example of how accessible and practical microlearning can be in all areas of life.
Hi Ken and Griffin, thank you for this material. I really enjoyed going through it and learning a bit more about microlearning – I feel it was one of those things I knew about, used, and constantly saw everywhere, but I didn’t have much real information about it. For example, I did not know that there were already studies proving its effectiveness on retention or on its assesment modalities. I honestly always think that it cannot be good for our short attention span, to keep getting shorter and shorter content. On the other hand, and responding to your 3rd question, I think precisely its short duration is what makes it so appealing to learn a little bit about something to then decide if I want to invest more time on it. Learning through podcasts, for instance, about Business which is a subject I’ve always found challenging, has helped me understand concepts that were hard for me and has motivated me to go deeper into more formal learning about it. So what I’m trying to say here is that it is a great door to “deeper” learning as well.
Thank you for your work!
Great work Griffin and Ken! I really enjoyed the OER you created and it made me think about the many applications for microlearning. In my own experiences with it, I’ve had mixed success. For example, when I used DuoLingo to help with learning French, I found that to be really useful. However, my preference when learning guitar is to spend longer periods of time struggling through and learning how to play something. While I have used YouTube videos to learn, the apps that are similar to Duolingo but for music have never been particularly appealing to me. I’m not certain this points to a limitation of microlearning in the arts, a design factor in the apps, or just a reflection of my own preferences, but thanks for the OER that prompted the reflection!
Hey Ken and Griffin,
Amazing work on the OER, I observed you both hit all aspects of microlearning and realized that it was my favourite way to learn as someone who works a full-time job, balancing a family with school, it was a gift to be able to get the concepts in bite sized and digestible pieces set to my own pace.
I’ve always appreciated microlearning and it was a great privilege to see all the available modalities for microlearning. In the past it was always a video, but seeing how you utilized numerous learning technologies made me excited for the possibilities of microlearning and maybe we can even use it one day for credentialing.
The most important thing for me is the aspect that microlearning creates equity for busy people who might not have time to develop their careers because they have stories that they need to take full programs like ours to get a full education. I actually think that there’s value in microlearning being used in credentialing reasons and to support people in different fields to continue to develop professionally.
Hi Ken and Griffin,
Awesome work on your OER this week! I have used a lot of micro-learning apps such as Duolingo in the past, but have never formally been introduced to the idea of “micro-learning”.
In my opinion, the most important benefit of micro-learning is the ability to break down complex topics into bite-sized chunks. This makes learning more manageable and increases retention as evidenced by the data you shared. This comes with a side-benefit of micro-learning lessons being efficient and time-effective, allowing them to be used by people with a busy schedule. Learning can be daunting, but micro-learning makes it more accessible and inviting.
The Safety Culture course you created on Micro-learning was a great example of your topic. It took under five minutes but provided us a with a wealth of information. The review at the end was helpful as well to go over key concepts in the lesson.
Overall, great work on your OER this week. I learned a lot about micro-learning and will try to incorporate more micro-learning into my schedule in the future.
I’m a big fan of micro-learning—I’ve picked up a lot of useful knowledge through this format! What I love most is how bite-sized the content is. It’s perfect for those in-between moments, like when I’m waiting for the bus.
That said, I’ve also noticed a downside: sometimes the information only sticks in my working memory and doesn’t really make it into long-term memory. Compared to more traditional learning methods, I often find I only remember bits and pieces. So in some cases, I actually prefer a more structured approach—when that’s what I need, I tend to go back to traditional learning.
Thanks again for the great presentation—well done! I especially loved the part where you recorded videos and listed key points alongside your explanations. That, to me, is a great example of Universal Design in action—super helpful for diverse learners! ????
Thank you Yan! Griffin has some really impressive video creation skills so we thought we would leverage them for that exact reason. I’m a big believer in UDL so I’m really pleased by your comments and hope that everyone who participated this week was able to get something useful from the information as a result of the diverse set of materials and tools we tried to use.
As for your comment about the downside of short segments, you are very right that this is a risk. In order to be truly impactful, microlearning has to have an element of consistency and structure. It’s no enough to simply pick up a small chunk here or there, separated by long time periods and without an overarching structure tying it all together.
Hi Ken and Griffin! Great job on the OER. It was very easy to follow along, and I really like the format of the microlearning module, especially with the different question formats!
I would definitely use microlearning to gain new knowledge and skills to expand what I can do as an educator. Being a full-time teacher, a grad student, and a mom, I don’t have the luxury of sitting down for long periods of time to learn new content. Information needs to be in bite-sized chunks for me these days, and the format of microlearning meets that need perfectly! For me, microlearning’s ability to fit into busy schedules and its convenience make it a very ideal style of learning.
Hello Ken and Griffin!
This is such an excellent material. Every thing is engaging and I like how you kept it brief which made it easier to understand. Also, I like that you did a discussion video because it made the material more interactive.
What I appreciate about microlearning is how it allows me to study despite my busy schedule and attention span. Truly, in today’s fast-paced world, we appreciate how things around us make everything easier and faster. Microlearning breaks down information into short and focused learning. This makes lessons easier to understand and remember. I think this is the real strength of microlearning. Through small and focused segments, learners retain information instead of feeling overwhelmed. This makes learning more effective rather than cramming and forgetting. Students can just revisit concepts and be engaged in learning in at their own pace.
Echoing everyone’s praise here! Really enjoyed the short video content in particular, as I feel that video – when designed properly – is the ideal modality for microlearning. I think microlearning and the immense potential for AI-driven personalization are definitely going to be bigger markets in the future, as you describe in your microlearning course. At the same time though, I can’t help but wonder whether microlearning is, in some ways, perpetuating the reduction of our collective dwindling attention spans. Is it meeting learners where they are, or is it pulling learners away from intentional and focused study? I imagine the answer is that it really depends on the appropriateness of the content and design of the delivery.
I second annaren’s comment about embedding the concept of your topic in the very design of your site. Slick and bite sized. The perfect OER for this week, given assignment #1 is also due.
How has microlearning shaped your learning journey so far?
Microlearning has typically been both professional and more personal in my experience. In my personal life, I use videos to help myself learn a new recipe or cooking technique or work on my bike and cars. I do the same for tough video games like Elden Ring. Professionally, I suppose I use AI tools quite a bit to help me quickly access and internalize academic literature and research. I
Are you excited to try microlearning some day soon?
I am. This week got away from me (you’ll notice I am posting this comment with less than 30 minutes left in the week). As I explored your website this evening — appreciating the bite-sized portions of microlearning you cooked up — I realized how I need to add more micro-assessments in my practice as a teacher. I noticed this year that the kids thrived when I began doing this in semester two, enjoying the brevity of the tasks and timely feedback. I stopped and created a Google Doc and began collecting ideas gleaned from your OER. Thank you. 🙂
In your opinion, what is the most important benefit of microlearning?
I like the idea of taking back control of the design of learning in my classroom, making it more authentic and relevant, perhaps even improving pace. I feel that I have the content for what I teach stockpiled well enough, it is time to explore and use digital tools to improve the personalization of support and assessment.
Thank you for your work this week. 🙂
Well done team! This is a very well developed OER. I personally buy the concept of microlearning and with upgrade of mobile on hand, this makes even more sense for ppl on the go. I rated five star:
1. The OER is logically developed – what, why, how. The introductory video at first three sections plays important role to engage the audience, like me, to understand the concept in a vivid, easy way.
2. Interactive element, like quiz (google sheet), links to multimedia, intro video, etc.
3. View is clear, straight forward and firm.
4. Ample examples to support the idea, from different angle. Duolingo is an easy one but walmart is a nice surprise!
One little challenge if I may, would content make a difference in terms of microlearning effectiveness?