The article sheds light on the concept of micro-learning and its potential to revolutionize the skilling initiative. It offers insights on how this approach can make education more accessible and affordable, while also improving learning outcomes.
Before we get into the meat of how Micro-learning might help accelerate the skilling endeavour, let’s define Micro-learning.
Micro-learning entails learning little amounts of information in order to improve memory recall. When the internet expanded in the early 2000s and we gained access to streaming video, micro-learning became popular. This gave birth to the EdTech industry. Professionals took use of the EdTech edge to further their careers and abilities. A macro-learning paradigm proved challenging for certain experts to remember information. These professionals were urged to adopt a micro-learning approach in order to improve information retention and application.
How micro-learning was prioritised
By considering the changing characteristics of the workforce, the Indian government began supporting the need of skilling in 2015. Skilling began as a hobby and quickly evolved into a necessity. This is still true after the planet was put under lockdown. Professionals enrolled in skill-building programmes to increase their employability. Yet, because they had been out of the learning mindset for a long time, many experts found it difficult to remember material. Here is where the notion of micro-learning proved useful.
The Research
Have you noticed how the world of content has changed since the advent of the internet? Readers who used to devour pages and pages of material transitioned to reading blogs and then became accustomed to micro-content forms. According to Adviser Jacog Neilson, advertisers and marketers employ micro-content to nurture greater memory because the human attention span is short. According to Hermann Eddinghaus’ forgetting curve hypothesis, learners lose 80% of the knowledge they share in just a few minutes.
Making improvements
If the presented knowledge is followed by an activity or task related to the material, the recall is profound. The learner may be invited to participate in a conversation about the proposed topic or may even be questioned on it. A frequent quiz, on the other hand, might be harmful to the student since it adds extra pressure, resulting in a deterioration in the learning curve. Yet, if the learner is given an impromptu problem and requested to produce a solution based on the posed topic, the purpose of recall will be improved.
The Shortcoming
- Micro-learning has only one disadvantage: The Rejection
Micro-learning is viewed as an informal learning strategy by the majority of corporations. Micro-learning, on the other hand, acts as a deliberate means of upskilling the workforce while teams are at work, while also bringing the new age dynamic into the working environment.
The Benefits
- Portable Learning
Individuals may now access information on portable mobile devices thanks to the internet era. Education is no different. This allows young learners and emerging professionals to learn while they are on the move.
- Learning that is inclusive
Micro-learning opens the door to inclusive learning. It enables the student to absorb material at their own speed and in a setting that suits them best. This also encourages daily wage employees to advance their careers by enrolling in an upskilling programme while on the go. This learning strategy improves market relevance.
- Lifelong Education
Micro-learning represents a habit-forming aspect of life-long learning.
- Improved Mental Health
Micro-Learning improves mental health by maintaining cognitive skills in good condition. It protects against terrible lifestyle disorders like Alzheimer’s.
- Creating a new era of learning pedagogy
Micro-learning guarantees that trainers include novel learning strategies that promote improved memory recall. It is also a method of ensuring that students embody information in a practical use-case situation.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, if Micro-learning is regarded in terms of its benefits, it can increase the market relevance of skilling. Micro-learning opens the door to enhanced mental and cognitive wellness.
