As an eLearning or training and development manager,  you need to ensure that the training you provide protects your staff, your organisation and your reputation. As fun as the micro approach may be, sometimes people need in depth training with “use case” examples, quizzes, real life scenarios and post testing which stretches the learner, tests their knowledge to really challenge them.

Micro learning – or “bite-sized learning” – is great. 

Micro learning adds value and colour to the more “traditional” eLearning courses but it is not designed to replace them or be used as stand-alone training. It gives users the freedom to top up their knowledge. Micro learning acts as a refresher and can provide an individual with some personal motivation or inspiration.

Bite-sized learning can also be a great way for people to read around the main topic by delivering ebooks on subjects that they are interested in and which cater for their own personal development goals.It also provides a solution to the problem of forgetting – learners forget 80% of what was learned in 30 days!

However, for some training areas, traditional eLearning must be offered. This is especially true of legal compliance or health and safety training – for example Fire Safety or Working at Height. Would you risk leaving these vital training areas to a series of 30 second video courses?

As an eLearning or training and development manager,  you need to ensure that the training you provide protects your staff, your organisation and your reputation. As fun as the micro approach may be, sometimes people need in depth training with “use case” examples, quizzes, real life scenarios and post testing which stretches the learner, tests their knowledge to really challenge them.

This approach gets the learner thinking and analysing the whole subject matter. It creates dialogue between teams and managers and affects real change due to a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

This does not mean however that the more traditional approach is no longer relevant for today’s learner. While some of us still remember the text heavy, static screen eLearning courses with their lack of interaction,  this approach has long since died out, replaced with state of the art gamification, interactive pages, colourful ebooks, downloads and individual testing.

Great eLearning can also cater for all levels of experience and knowledge. Micro learning cannot be tailored to suit an entire organisation nor can it be made to fit its culture.

Take GDPR as another recent example.

This was a complex and detailed piece of legislation which required an in depth understanding of individual responsibilities as well as the organisation’s legal obligations. People were frightened, unsure of what they needed to know and often mis-informed of the facts surrounding GDPR.

Training on GDPR had to be detailed but presented in a way that stuck – and it needed to test true understanding. The risks of getting it wrong were simply too great.

But if you need to deliver mandatory training and you need to prove that your colleagues really understand the implications, then in-depth, measurable eLearning is a must.