What is Microlearning
What Is Microlearning?
Microlearning supports learning and performance through short pieces of instructional content. Microlearning modules can usually be accessed on demand when the learner needs them. Many people find microlearning valuable because it can be consumed quickly while the learner is performing their job, in contrast to longer forms of training that require employees to carve out time in their work schedules to complete.
How to Design Microlearning
What Makes Microlearning Effective?
The principle of learning in small, repetitive chunks has long been acknowledged as an effective method of learning skills such as a language or musical instrument. Studies have found that employee training and development is most successful when information is presented through small, manageable chunks instead of through a longer and more concentrated time frame.
Microlearning is often a technology-based or technology-enhanced form of training. This scientifically studied approach to learning began in the early 2000s, when computers and the Internet offered new opportunities to support learners. The rise of mobile technology makes it even easier for learners to access segments on the go.
Microlearning can be used as performance support, where the learner accesses the segment at the point of need, such as when they perform a task that is highly complex or infrequently performed.
Microlearning can also serve as support for longer learning. For example, learners may attend a half-day in-person training, then access microlearning segments with key content if they need a refresher later.
Microlearning is convenient. ATD’s 2017 research report Microlearning: Delivering Bite-Sized Knowledge asked respondents about the top benefits of microlearning. Forty-one percent of respondents said that the top benefit of microlearning is that learners can access it when it’s convenient, and 40 percent said that it’s less likely to overwhelm learners.
When to Use Microlearning
Microlearning is a specific design model used to create effective, structured e-learning experiences and is essential in talent development strategies. With any learning delivered electronically, microlearning can organize that content to avoid cognitive overload. If your role touches instructional design, you will want to consider how microlearning fits into the larger learning ecosystem:
1. As a Format for "Digital Learning"
Microlearning acts as a framework for delivering online content in digestible formats, such as:
Short Videos or Podcasts: Breaking down complex topics into brief media segments
Interactive Quizzes: Using quick assessments to improve retention
Simulations and Games: Delivering focused, performance-based activities
2. Preventing Cognitive Overload
A key characteristic of an effective learning program is the "strategic mix of multimedia" to prevent cognitive overload. Microlearning helps break training into smaller units, ensuring learners aren't overwhelmed by too much information at once.
3. Performance Support
Microlearning is often used to provide "just-in-time" information that a learner can access quickly to solve a specific problem on the job, rather than sitting through a full hour of training.
4. Integration With Standards (SCORM/xAPI)
Because microlearning involves many small pieces of content, it relies on the technical standards mentioned on the page to function within the larger system:
SCORM: Tracks completions and scores for traditional micro-modules
xAPI: Ideal for tracking micro-interactions that happen outside a traditional course, such as watching a quick tip video or interacting with a mobile app
5. Part of a "Blended" Approach
Most successful learning programs use blended learning, combining face-to-face and digital work. For example, microlearning can be useful in onboarding a new employee. The employee may have had one full day of in-person training, and then frequent virtual reminders, quizzes, and check-ins via the company’s LMS.
Summary: E-Learning vs. Microlearning
Feature | E-Learning (Broad) | Microlearning (Specific Design) |
Scope | The entire digital learning ecosystem | A specific strategy for breaking content down |
Delivery | Managed via a Learning Management System (LMS) | Often delivered as "chunks" within an LMS or LRS |
Goal | To deliver structured courses or experiences | To improve retention and provide performance support |
Common Examples of Microlearning
Many people associate microlearning with video, which is a common and often effective form of it. Other examples include games, blogs, job aids, podcasts, infographics, and other visuals. Talent development professionals should select the type of media that is most appropriate for their specific situation and learning needs. Keep these factors in mind:
Timing: Definitions of what constitutes microlearning vary. ATD’s microlearning research report found that talent development professionals believe 13 minutes is the maximum time that can be considered microlearning. Respondents also reported that the ideal length of a microlearning segment is 10 minutes, and that segments between two and five minutes were considered the most effective length for microlearning.
Content: While it’s useful to know what length of microlearning is considered ideal or effective, many experts argue that microlearning should not be tied to a particular length of time. Instead, it should be as long as it needs to be to achieve the learning goal. Microlearning should focus on essential content that is “need to know” instead of “nice to know.”
Purpose: Each microlearning segment should cover one or two learning objectives. It is also important to ensure that microlearning is the right approach to the targeted learning objective. Content should not be forced into microlearning segments if more time is needed to accomplish the objective.
What Are Microlearning Best Practices?
ATD’s 2017 research report on microlearning outlines several best microlearning practices:
Get Buy-In from Leaders: Microlearning is often incorrectly considered to be informal or optional learning. To correct this misperception, leadership needs to support microlearning initiatives so that managers hold their teams accountable for completing microlearning.
Identify Objectives: A first step to any training should be to identify the goal the resource is intended to help people achieve. This will help talent development professionals determine whether the objective can be accomplished through microlearning or is better suited to another form of learning, such as in-person classroom learning or a longer e-learning module.
Knowledge Quizzes Are Not Always the Right Choice: Including knowledge checks at the end of each microlearning segment may frustrate learners and are not always an effective approach as assessments counteract the short, just-in-time nature of microlearning.
Consider Integrating Hands-On Activities and Simulations: Organizations that incorporate hands-on activities or simulations into microlearning are more likely to report that their microlearning efforts are effective. These elements may be a more engaging choice as employees can practice and apply skills in a no-pressure environment.
Consider the Technology Environment in Which Microlearning Will Be Implemented: Talent development professionals should think about whether the content will be hosted on an LMS or elsewhere, whether and how it will be tracked, and whether it will be optional or required.
Microlearning vs. Longer-Form Training
Microlearning and longer-form learning both play important roles in talent development, but they are designed for different purposes and learning experiences. Microlearning is not meant to replace traditional learning. Instead, organizations often use it alongside longer-form training to support continuous learning, reinforce important concepts, and improve knowledge retention.
Here are some differences between the two methods:
Microlearning | Longer-Form Learning |
|---|---|
Focuses on one specific learning objective at a time | Covers broader topics in greater depth |
Delivered in short, bite-sized experiences | Delivered through longer courses, workshops, or training sessions |
Designed to fit into the flow of work | Often requires dedicated time away from daily tasks |
Commonly used for refreshers, reinforcement, onboarding support, and just-in-time learning | Commonly used for complex skill building, strategy, discussion, and in-depth practice |
Frequently delivered through videos, podcasts, infographics, games, job aids, and short e-learning modules | Often includes instructor-led training, structured curricula, group activities, and formal assessments |
Easy to access on demand and often mobile-friendly | Usually follows a scheduled or structured learning experience |
Helps reinforce and retain information over time | Helps learners deeply explore and practice complex concepts |
Frequently Asked Questions About Microlearning
What is microlearning?
Microlearning is a training approach that delivers focused, bite-sized learning content in short bursts to help people quickly learn and apply a specific skill or concept.
What are common examples of microlearning?
Examples of microlearning include self-paced e-learning, games, simulations, blogs, job aids, podcasts, infographics, and interactive quizzes.
When should organizations use microlearning?
Organizations should use microlearning when employees need fast, targeted training that fits into busy workflows, reinforces existing knowledge, supports just-in-time learning, or improves retention of specific skills and information.
How long should microlearning be?
Research shows that the ideal length for a microlearning session is 10 minutes and that it should not exceed 13 minutes. Segments between two and five minutes are considered the most effective. Each microlearning segment should cover one or two learning objectives.
How is microlearning different from traditional training?
Microlearning delivers short, focused lessons designed for quick learning and immediate application, while traditional training typically involves longer, more comprehensive sessions covering broader topics in greater depth.
How ATD Can Help You With Microlearning
ATD’s mission is to empower professionals to develop talent in the workplace. Microlearning is one such tool to achieve this goal. ATD curates the best content from the world’s leading experts in the field, providing resources to help talent development professionals improve their organization’s microlearning strategy.
We look at talent development holistically and understand how microlearning supports its initiatives by delivering concise, just-in-time learning that provides learners with the information they need when they need it, so they can enhance their job performance. Check out the variety of ATD education courses that cover microlearning and get started today.
For access to even more resources, including practical tools and templates, research, and insights, you’re invited to become an ATD member. Learn more.
For more information on microlearning, visit the following sites:
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Free Microlearning E-Book
The ATD Research report Microlearning: Delivering Bite-Sized Knowledge reveals that some 40 percent of the study’s nearly 600 participants indicate that their organization currently uses microlearning.