Instructional Design

Macro Motivation for Microlearning: Getting Users to Participate

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Let’s face it: Getting learners excited about long lectures and lost time is an uphill battle. It’s no secret that training and education can get the eye-roll treatment, especially if motivation is low. That’s where microlearning can come in handy: It taps into user motivation for higher participation and completion rates. After all, what good is new information if it’s essentially ignored by those who need it most? Here’s where you can “sell” learners on microlearning.

Minimum Commitment

Breaking lessons into smaller chunks doesn’t only reduce the time actually spent learning, but it also reduces idle time as well. Resources used by sitting in a quiet classroom, waiting for an instructor to show up or for other students to grasp new concepts can be frustrating. By allowing learners to take in new info on their own time, you reduce empty space and time commitment.

Self Determination

You can push and prod learners all you want – if there’s no determination to finish a course, it won’t mean much. Microlearning taps into a learner’s inherent motivation using their own determination to finish a course. Instead of sitting through a long lesson, they can quickly wrap up a series of micro lessons or videos based on ther own time. The result is better learning experience and higher retention rate.

Instant Feedback

Not everyone learns at the same pace, which is where tracking and feedback really comes through in microlearning. Instead of waiting until everyone in a classroom has learned a new principle, the administrator can easily see which learners have watched videos, read tweets or otherwise finished a series of smaller lessons. Then, you can offer instant feedback to increase a learner’s motivation. Knowing that they’re on the right track can make all the difference to someone who needs an extra push to finish the job.