What Are Microlearning Videos? (And How To Use Them in Training)

What is Microlearning? (Definition & Explanation)

So, what exactly is microlearning?

Let’s start with our definition:

To put it simply, microlearning is a method of education that involves teaching new information in short bursts. Microlearning videos and other media can help people learn and retain specific information quickly, one step at a time.

How-to videos, interactive learning games, and even short articles like this one all qualify as microlearning since all formats present information concisely and directly. One of the most effective visual mediums for micro-learning, of course, is the eLearning video.

This allows for the delivery of microlearning benefits simply by implementing this learning technique into your overall strategy.

What Are the Benefits of Using Microlearning Videos?

You want learners to come back for all of their eLearning needs. That’s why it’s so critical to provide them with microlearning courses that help them learn quickly and retain information.

Microlearning helps with learning and can increase knowledge retention. There’s no long, drawn-out microlearning course. Instead, learners get the information they need in just a few hours and can apply it quickly.

Microlearning content also provides learners with the best learning experience possible. Thanks to its short length, it’s highly digestible, which helps learners retain more information. People are already conditioned to engage with YouTube videos; this delivery method helps them learn in a format they already love. Best of all, micro-learning videos let your users learn hands-free.

Another microlearning benefit is that it’s also an incredibly convenient way to learn. Learners go through the course at their own pace. It’s ideal for busy clients who can’t devote hours and hours to longer training. Microlearning helps them complete training in a matter of a few hours at their own pace, and on their own schedule.

Because of its ease of use, microlearning increases learner retention. Video communicates information quickly. It ensures learners don’t spend hours reading a wall of text, so they feel more alert and engaged. eLearning videos like microlearning courses are both auditory and visual, helping learners absorb information at record speed.

How Do You Create & Use Microlearning Videos in Your Training?

Now that we have convinced you of all the good that creating engaging microlearning videos can do for you, your company, and your employees, it is time to get to the actual process of learning how to create microlearning videos.

This process depends heavily on your own needs, so do not be afraid to take plenty of time to brainstorm. To help you get started, we have laid out below the three key steps to make successful microlearning videos:

1. Identify Objectives

The best learning material has a clear, attainable objective. This is especially true with microlearning videos. Before you set out on your creative journey, you need to have a clear understanding of what you are trying to accomplish.

Think of this objective as your thesis statement –– every piece of information in your article should relate back to this single learning objective. Some questions to ask in this stage include:

2. Flesh Out Ideas

Once you have a clear understanding of your goals, you will want to transition into the prewriting stage. This is the part where you create your storyboard and script.

This stage is essential for making sure your entire video flows smoothly and catching preventable mistakes. If you get this part of the process right, you will save a lot of time, money, and energy in the long run.

Don’t be afraid to make multiple attempts and revisions to your storyboard and script during this step.

3. Get Creating

The third and final step is to put one wobbly foot in front of the other and get to the creation process. Chances are you will never feel 100 percent satisfied with what you have produced in the prewriting stages; however, the majority of these things will fix themselves once you get into the creation process.

Microlearning Video Tips and Best Practices

Now that you’re ready to start creating microlearning videos on your own, it’s time to glean some insight. Here are a few microlearning video tips and best practices to use in your video-based learning.

Keep it Short

Microlearning videos need to be delivered in bite-sized chunks in order to engage the learner, maintain interest, and improve retention.

Each of the microlearning videos should act as a mini-course and operate independently. This will allow for the ability to learn without having to access more information. This is the core strategy behind microlearning modules.

To be effective, you’ll want to keep your microlearning videos between 30 seconds and 6 minutes. Direct, to the point, and void of fluff.

Select Your Learning Objective

There should be one primary goal for each microlearning course:

To change learner behavior by meeting and implementing your learning objective.

That means you’ll need to keep the focus of the content front and center at all times. This should help with retention and allow the user to walk away with valuable knowledge.

Minimize Distractions

Since the focal point of your content is your single learning objective, you’ll want to prevent your videos from veering too far off track.

To do this you’ll want to minimize distractions such as too much on-screen text, and other visual stimulants and present your information in a clear and concise manner.

This brings us to our next microlearning video tip…

Start with a Solid Microlearning Template

Microlearning templates can help you stay on track and follow a proven formula. Having a solid microlearning strategy and video template will ensure you stay on task and deliver multiple videos that improve your employee training and provide the specific learning takeaway you were going for.

Need help?

Not to worry: We’ve got you covered.

Choose a Hero for Your Microlearning Course

Our last microlearning best practice is to pick a hero for your story. This is key to your learning strategy.

Humans learn better when they’re having an interactive conversation. Whether that’s with a live person, an animated character, or an AI avatar, be sure to pick a guide that will help them learn throughout.

What Types of Videos Make for a Successful Microlearning Video?

There are several different styles of microlearning videos, and the style you choose will likely depend on who your learners are and what you want to teach them. Let’s jump into some common microlearning video content types.

1. Kinetic Typography Videos

Kinetic typography video is moving or animated text in videos. It is used to gain the attention of learners, as well as to entertain them. It can be used to emphasize the meaning of a word or phrase or create narratives, which helps to evoke an emotional response in learners.

2. Whiteboard Animations

Whiteboard animations tell a story with pictures drawn on a whiteboard. They aren’t literally drawn on a whiteboard but instead simulated with animation. Some course creators show a fake hand drawing the whiteboard animation, but most learners think this is distracting and cheesy.

You would use a whiteboard eLearning video animation style when you want to take a minimalist, brand-neutral approach. Whiteboard animation doesn’t use a lot of color or character animation.

Instead, you can focus on the key aspects of a scenario or broad steps of a process. You can showcase a ton of detail or keep things very simple; it’s your choice. Whiteboard is best used to show general concepts that don’t require character animation.

3. Webcast and Live Demos

A webcast or live demo can be used to explain and demonstrate the features and benefits of a product or service. This is a great option when sharing one type of product (software, platform, or application) if the demo is simple and straightforward. An advantage of demonstrating the product live is that potential customers can ask questions as the product is being demonstrated.

4. Interactive Videos

The interactive video takes the how-to video to a whole new level. By providing links to more information, how-to videos, step-by-step lists, and transcriptions, detailed education becomes available to everyone.

With short educational videos, it can be difficult to fit so much essential information into just a few minutes of content. Fortunately, with interactive videos, content creators can catch their audience’s attention and leave them wanting more— and they can do it instantly!

With the interactive video’s short format, companies can create a series of videos on just about any topic. Each video may cover a different concept, or all videos might expand upon one larger idea.

Finally, interactive videos can do anything from teaching learners how to perform specific skills to addressing important questions that employees commonly ask. Employers can then compile these videos into a playlist for easy access–say, on the company’s YouTube channel.

4 Real-World Microlearning Examples

Okay now that you know quite a bit about microlearning including how to create your own microlearning videos, let’s finish off with some real-world examples of microlearning just to showcase how this practice is already deeply embedded in our culture in today’s society.

• Language Acquisition. Ever been traveling somewhere and needed to communicate more effectively? What did you do? Well if you’re like most people you Googled some basic phrases and learned how to say “please,” “thank you,” “hello,” “how are you,” and a few other things just so you weren’t completely in the dark. This is microlearning in effect. That’s why microlearning platforms like Duolingo are so effective.

   

• Professional Skill Building. How about self-education? Every needed to know a spreadsheet formula to finish a task in Microsoft Excel? How about how to tie a tie so you can look presentable at that formal meeting your company is forcing you to go to? Is this microlearning? Check. And Check. In fact, many online courses from how to bake sourdough bread to how to drive traffic to your website are all examples of microlearning.

   

• Self-Referencing Microlearning Video. How about a microlearning video about microlearning videos? How’s that for an example? Check out this video from YouTube. In fact, there are many videos on YouTube that make for great examples of microlearning so be sure to browse around.