The benefits of microlearning and gamified learning

Companies that are developing and offering content through microlearning and gamification platforms are delivering learning to employees in an engaging & fun manner are seeing exceptionally high rates of learning completion. But do you need to get started with microlearning?

If you want to supercharge employee performance and learning using digital motivation, then read on – and see if it’s right for you.

What is microlearning? 

Microlearning is the method of delivering educational content to learners in small, very specific bursts. The learners are in control of what and when they’re learning and by using elements like spaced repetition and retrieval practice, each learner can take in information in the way that suits them. We’re distracted, time poor and easily bored. Textbook learning doesn’t fit into the modern workplace or sales environment, which is why microlearning is ideal for the times we live in. It’s heavy media, heavy digital, light bites of learning, delivered at a steady, imperceptible pace known as distributed practice. In brief, this is the method of dividing learning activities over time intervals rather than one large chunk. Studies have repeatedly shown that distributed practice is better for material retention and absorption as the brain moves between focused and diffused mode of thinking. It can also tap into the business of questioning and engaging with content, a process that’s known as elaborative interrogation.

Microlearning is based heavily on design and delivery. Whilst the content is obviously key, the business of designing microlearning tasks that live easily in the digital media we already consume and become part of daily life is key. It’s a step away from printed textbooks and self-driven ‘consumption’ and a move to a more spoon fed approach. This isn’t a bad thing – the push media route of delivery makes learning top of mind, something that can have great business results. Learning doesn’t fit just ‘health and safety’ instructionals – it can help you ensure you are data compliant, engage channel sales professionals in understanding your products and services and even impart your business ethos.

The words ‘rich media’ are often used when it comes to microlearning, and if you’ve ever had to identify hazards, work your way through online games to spot errors or answer quiz questions, you’ve undertaken microlearning. Based in 3  – 5 minute stints and typically with the ability to save and return to the task at the best time, microlearning is a great way to deliver information in a medium that feels fresh. Imagery and the ‘look and feel’ is key.

“Developing images can enhance mental organisation or integration of information in the text, and idiosyncratic images of particular referents in the text could enhance learning as well. Moreover, using one’s prior knowledge to generate a coherent representation of a narrative may enhance general understanding of the text; if so, the influence of imagery use may be robust across criterion tasks that tap memory and comprehension.” (cf. distinctive processing; Hunt, 2006). 

Microlearning can all be integrated into gamified learning or is sometimes used interchangeably.

What is gamified learning? 

A gamified learning platform serves learning in an automated and engaging way, guaranteeing knowledge consumption, growth and a tie-in to business results. You might want to encourage learning around issues that are regulatory – such as compliance seminars and compliance training or another area of your business -perhaps focusing on engagement in sales excellence, service, management and cross-functional collaboration.

Typically, gamification includes game narratives, leaderboards, badges, challenges, simulations, whiteboard animations, real life scanarios, quizzes and other smart missions. Good platforms allow administrators to set learning goals and engage users to the system. The results can be startling too.

“Our corporate partners are interested in breaking the classic learning repository mode of unengaging delivery with a system that is simple to manage yet engaging to users,” said Maurizio Besozzi, Customer Practice Leader at The European House-Ambrosetti who uses GamEffectives Learning-Platform-as-a-Service.

“We used the platform to train sales people on a new product and had 100% engagement, and a content consumption rate of 99.4%.”

What to consider in a gamification/microlearning platform:

• The ability to easily create or use tailored content – seek an agency with expertise who can guide you on what will work
• Enterprise ready – look for a platform that can scale – not only to users but also so it can be delivered globally in multiple languages
• Mobile ready/ mobile first
• Rich Gamification and microlearning options