Elearning! December

DEC 2015

Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.

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Elearning! December 2015 / January 2016 49 Best Micro-Learning Practices Scientifc research shows that Te growing support for mi- FOCUS ON CONTEXT Many micro-videos are series, or they can go straight to an individual video lesson on a specifc subtopic or skillset (for example "delegation" in the new manager series). Once the employee completes the entire series, he or she can revisit any video lesson for a quick re- fresher or reinforcement. 2 TEACHING COMPLEX SKILLS AND SOFT SKILLS One of the greatest things about micro-learning video is that it matches the way em- ployees learn outside of work. So it's the perfect choice for learning at work. But can you use it to teach complex skills or sof skills? Actually, both. First, the short, single-topic approach taken in high-quality micro-learning videos matches the amount of information our brains can handle at a time. In psychology, this is called "cog- nitive load." Research shows that we can efectively transfer this volume of information from short-term to long-term memory. Next, the visual im- ages and speakers shown in the videos reach us in ways that help anchor learning by tying new information to vi- sual cues (neural markers). Last, behavioral sciences have long held that most com- plex human skills related to human interaction are learned through observation and then imitation. Video allows us to observe complex skills applied to a wide variety of situations so that we can later apply what we've observed to our own workplace situations. 3 MICRO-VIDEO PLUS OPPORTUNITIES TO TRY, EXPERIMENT AND FAIL Ultimately, nothing teaches like experience. By using micro-learning to establish a foundation of skills and knowl- edge, your employees will be well-prepared to try out the skills they've learned. Remem- ber: with video, they have the chance to observe, have con- tent delivered that matches the capacity of their cognitive load, and have visual anchors to en- hance memory. Now it's time to give them the chance to apply what they've learned. With micro-learning available, they also have the chance to go back for a quick refresher and review the learning immediately after an experience to analyze their behavior and performance. This type of review-and- refresh approach isn't possible with longer online courses or instructor-led classroom training. Employees don't have the same immediate access to critical learning content and information as they do when micro-learning forms the basis of their learn- ing plan. —To download BizLibrary's infographic on "Why Video is Better for Employee Training," visit http://goo.gl/TKEKFQ. —To view BizLibrary's on- demand webinar on incorporat- ing "Micro Video into Manager Training," visit http://goo.gl/O0MgWO. Tips lessons can watch the entire who consume these video micro-learning. Employees minute range; in other words, which are in the fve- to seven- separate video lessons, each of contains as many as 10 to 12 supervisor skills. Te topic area area such as new manager and publish new content on a topic and other leading producers videos. For instance, BizLibrary published as part of a series of 1 your organization. fective use of micro-learning in few ideas to help you make ef- that's not the case. Here are a plies to reinforce learning. But that micro-learning only ap- fessionals continue to argue many very well-informed pro- learning results. For instance, learning to drive employee exactly how to apply micro- translated into clarity around cro-learning, however, has not things on just about any topic. It works to teach people new minute chunks using video. a single topic in fve- to seven- we learn best when we are fed choose to use. or whatever other term you learning, bite-sized training, beat of the virtues of micro- reason for the constant drum- industry. And there's good the training and development It is everywhere in and around reached buzzword status yet? Has the term "micro-learning" Tips Tips Tips Learning

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