A look at Microlearning

According to Gherman, Turcu and Turcu (2021). The term “microlearning” generally describes “all about getting your eLearning in small doses, as tiny bursts of trainingmaterial that you can comprehend in a short time (contrast with the hefty tomes you had to read at school to study a subject or the typical content-heavy eLearning class— which would be classified as “macro” learning)” 

This is not only an apt understanding but also an age appropriate model for learning. Extensive or macro models of learning that dominated past online and in personinstructions tend to be laboriously informative to the point of inclusion of data not immediately related to the stated objectives. This, according to Zhang and West(2019),was popular during much of the 19th and 20th centuries and focused on fully training professionals for a job or career and then asking them to execute relevantskills. This model was prone to unfolding all that relates top the field of study, leaving the responsibility to the learner to determine that which is relevant to particularsituations. 

Major inconsistencies with this model and the digital age lay along the line that digitized learners are not prone to navigating lengthy portions of data especially in printedmedia. The discipline for long reading runs counter to the developed habits of the rapidly transitioning screen. This, though not officially studied, I am observing to be adisconnection but vital link in understanding poor academic performance among students of today. This is largely owed to the fact that assessment activities asexamination, as is in our schools are not applied on the same platform as teaching and learning are advocated. The thrust for greater inclusion of digital technology inlearning, prepares our students for limited attention spans which contrasts with the requisite discipline needed for the printed page given in examinations. In myexperience, I have seen students in such situations, refusing to exercise the discipline and are content to watch the clock, longing for the time to exit rather than interfacewith the static page. 

In my training on the application of requisite etiquette of whatsapp groups, I chose to be aware of the learning age and as such tried to ensure that the training is on point.The whatsapp training is singular and quiz based, getting directly to the point and apt for the busy worker with little time to spare but also who is in need of such training. 

I have often heard students at the secondary level, as I have also questioned, where is the relevance of all that data we were forced to learn at school. How do I apply allthose math formulas to practical daily living? It somehow seems that the paradigm has shifted from sounding brilliant via regurgitation to being practical…learning what isneeded when it is needed. 

Untitled App 

Jiahui Zhang, Richard E. West (2020). Designing Microlearning Instruction for Professional

Development Through a Competency Based Approach. TechTrends - Organizational Training and Performance

Ovidiu Gherman, Cristina Elena Turcu, Corneliu Octavian Turcu (2021).