Why micro-courses and personalized
learning are effective in the learning process
Dividing course material into smaller parts, micro-courses, is not new. Utilizing short courses that increase in difficulty has been a method in e-learning for a long time.
Even in traditional education, long courses are divided into smaller parts so that students can gradually build up their knowledge from the foundation and then progress. The difference between this educational format and e-learning is that in the latter, learners can choose courses that suit their individual needs.
Being able to review desired sections is a significant advantage in e-learning compared to the classroom’s pace, which must be followed by everyone at the same speed.
Micro-courses and Flipped Classroom
Another method that has proven to be highly effective is to combine micro-courses and personalized learning with the opportunity to ask questions to the course instructor/teacher during the studies. The questions are addressed both in a forum where all participants of the course can access questions and answers (Q&A), and also in physical meetings. This method is called ‘Flipped Classroom’ and has been successfully utilized, for instance, at Uppsala University, where it is also believed that this approach offers pedagogical and learning advantages over others.
The use of micro-courses is growing in popularity within the corporate world. Not only there, but it is also gaining increasing attention in the development of learning methods – Learning & Development, L&D.
Download the guide: “3 Steps to Structure Your e-Learning Course into Micro-courses”
More focus and relevance
The best way to encourage your staff to use e-learning is by using short and engaging micro-courses. Whether this method is employed to enhance knowledge or to support internal processes through the use of an LMS system within the organization.
This is achieved by having courses with a single focus at a time, making them more relevant to those taking the courses. No noise, no redundant information that nobody has time for anymore. It’s also easier to access these micro-courses on mobile devices, which further enhances their usage.
5 benefits of micro-courses
So why is there a reason to use micro-courses and personalized learning in your organization?
- It reduces training costs. Micro-courses can be developed quickly, up to 30% faster than traditional e-learning course development.
- The quicker pace also lowers development costs. Surveys have shown that development costs can be reduced by up to 50%.
- Being able to repeat short micro-courses maintains knowledge. Incremental learning retains knowledge 20% better compared to the ability of long courses to achieve the same.
- Being able to use courses as support precisely when needed works excellently as interactive assistance. It increases staff performance by 17%, for instance, in learning new software.
- Micro-courses and the ability to complete one’s course increase the learning rate by 71%, as shown by studies.
Patrik Löfvin
NXT Learning
