What is Microtraining?
Microtraining, also known as microlearning, is the delivery of training content in short (2-5 minute), focused sessions that target a specific learning objective.
What are the benefits of Microtraining?
The below list summarizes a few of the key benefits of microtraining:
Improved Employee Engagement - Short, easily accessible training classes allows for more frequent employee engagement on important topics.
Improved Understanding - Brief and concise training materials that target specific topics are more likely to be understood than lengthy classes covering a variety of topics.
Improved Retention - Research has shown that adults only listen with retention for about 20 minutes and we forget about 80% of what we learn within 30 days. The ability to provide more frequent training (such as weekly or daily topics) in short sessions makes it possible for employees to actively retain important information.
Dynamic - Short and concise training courses are faster to develop and deploy, saving both time and money. The simplicity of updating shorter presentations also allows the courses to be updated more frequently so content remains fresh and current.
Efficient - Microtraining may be implemented on any device at any time allowing employees to remotely complete required training at a moment's notice. Organizations no longer must require all-day on-site events to fulfill training requirements, increasing overall employee efficiency and productivity.
Timeliness - Microtraining course can be delivered on-demand. For example, a Company could push out a microtraining class on winter weather driving ahead of a pending snowstorm, on a new chemical before it is introduced into the workplace, or on a specific piece of equipment after an accident.
How to Implement Microtraining?
The below steps can be followed to develop and implement an effective microtraining program.
1. Define Your Goal - Decide what you want to achieve and how you will measure success. Ask yourself the following questions: Do you want to reduce the amount of time spent in classroom training? Improve comprehension and retention of specific topics? Reduce injuries associated with specific root causes (such as slips, trips and falls)?
2. Choose a Delivery Mechanism - A software solution, such as the Ecesis® Training Software and Mobile Training App, are a great ways to reach employees and deliver engaging, high-impact microtraining. Non-software mechanisms, such as instructor-lead daily tailgate meetings or phone trees, are also effective but are more time consuming and do not provide the benefits discussed above.
3. Develop a Course Outline - Once you have determined the content you want to focus on, break it down into 2-5 minute courses and arrange/schedule them in a manner that builds upon and supports prior training courses.
4. Create Your Content - Develop high-impact material that is laser focused on a specific topic. Topics should include short videos or easy-to-ready slides coupled with an interactive exercise or short quiz to verify comprehension.
5. Deploy Your Training - Rollout your training solution and initial microtraining courses to employees. It is important to ensure the content is readily accessible by all employees.
6. Engage and Reward Your Employees - Encourage your employees to participate by offering incentives and rewards if all required microtraining is completed during a given time period.
7. Evaluate Results - Use the metrics developed in step one, as well as feedback from employees and supervisors, to measure success. Based on the results, adjust content and program objectives to achieve your goals.
How to Select a Microtraining Software Solution?
An effective microtraining software solution should allow organizations to:
Accessibility - Access training materials via the web or a wide variety of IOS, Android and Windows Mobile devices.
Efficient Content Development - Upload existing PowerPoint presentations, MS Office documents or link to Youtube or other videos.
Gamification - Include a variety of engaging exercises that improve comprehension and retention.
Comprehension Verification - Include a final quiz that redirects user to appropriate content for reference.
Completion Tracking - Track employee participation and automatically remind employees (and supervisors) when they need to complete a training module.
Online and Offline Support - Download content and training modules to user's mobile devices when convenient, even in remote locations.
Simple User Management - Automatically assign training classes to users based on groups, departments and locations.