Historical context
The term microlearning emerged in 2002 (Friesens & Hugs 2007), however, it is not an educational phenomenon or fad, nor a new method of learning that was discovered based on modern educational research. Rather, microlearning is a term coined to describe what good teachers have always done: break complex tasks into small, manageable chunks. Combine this with the emergence of new digital media, and we can see our current conception of microlearning take shape. Simply, the history of microlearning is the story of task progressions; of scaffolded learning; of the emergence of digital media as a teaching tool (Hierdeis, 2007).
The modern incarnation of microlearning is inexorably tied to the emergence of the internet and the subsequent shift in the role of the teacher. In the pre-internet era, a student acquired knowledge from a teacher in a specified location. That knowledge could come either through lecture, socratic questioning, or guided reading. It was expected that teachers would, "convert the ‘world’ into the student’s knowledge, insight, judgment, and action” (Hierdeis, 2007). The internet has made the role of a teacher as a 'font of all knowledge' obsolete. It has also freed learning from the confines of the traditional brick and mortar classroom. In the new paradigm, the teacher now becomes the curator of and guide to the vast (and often overwhelming) pool of information available to the student. With technology becoming ubiquitous and the teacher shifting from 'Sage on the Stage' to 'Guide on the Side', the conditions for the emergence of modern microlearning have been created. Now, learners can satisfy the itch to learn a new skill or topic in small, easy to digestible bits whenever they have a few minutes to spare.
In the business world, the story follows a similar arc. Historically, skills training would take employees out of their normal routines and would, therefore, result in a loss of productivity. Now, employees are able to access information that can improve their performance, ensure workplace safety, or clarify important policies without taking them away from their daily tasks (Paul, 2016).
Some companies (like Dailybitsof and Khan Academy) have intentionally identified microlearning concepts and packaged them into what we would consider a microlearning platform. However, a more pervasive form of microlearning is the emergence of crowd-sourced how-to videos on sites like YouTube. Although these media are different in many ways, they are both examples of microlearning.
Regardless of whether it is a child learning through a game simulation (Schweizer, Hayslett, Bansal, Ronco, Schafer, 2014), doctors-in-training in an emergency simulation (Smolle, Prause, Smolle-Juttner, 2007), or business professionals (Bailey, 2015) building productivity skills, microlearning is a strategy that is pervading the educational landscape. It has emerged through the confluence of age-old teaching methods and new technologies, and promises to have a significant impact on the way we learn today and in the future.
The modern incarnation of microlearning is inexorably tied to the emergence of the internet and the subsequent shift in the role of the teacher. In the pre-internet era, a student acquired knowledge from a teacher in a specified location. That knowledge could come either through lecture, socratic questioning, or guided reading. It was expected that teachers would, "convert the ‘world’ into the student’s knowledge, insight, judgment, and action” (Hierdeis, 2007). The internet has made the role of a teacher as a 'font of all knowledge' obsolete. It has also freed learning from the confines of the traditional brick and mortar classroom. In the new paradigm, the teacher now becomes the curator of and guide to the vast (and often overwhelming) pool of information available to the student. With technology becoming ubiquitous and the teacher shifting from 'Sage on the Stage' to 'Guide on the Side', the conditions for the emergence of modern microlearning have been created. Now, learners can satisfy the itch to learn a new skill or topic in small, easy to digestible bits whenever they have a few minutes to spare.
In the business world, the story follows a similar arc. Historically, skills training would take employees out of their normal routines and would, therefore, result in a loss of productivity. Now, employees are able to access information that can improve their performance, ensure workplace safety, or clarify important policies without taking them away from their daily tasks (Paul, 2016).
Some companies (like Dailybitsof and Khan Academy) have intentionally identified microlearning concepts and packaged them into what we would consider a microlearning platform. However, a more pervasive form of microlearning is the emergence of crowd-sourced how-to videos on sites like YouTube. Although these media are different in many ways, they are both examples of microlearning.
Regardless of whether it is a child learning through a game simulation (Schweizer, Hayslett, Bansal, Ronco, Schafer, 2014), doctors-in-training in an emergency simulation (Smolle, Prause, Smolle-Juttner, 2007), or business professionals (Bailey, 2015) building productivity skills, microlearning is a strategy that is pervading the educational landscape. It has emerged through the confluence of age-old teaching methods and new technologies, and promises to have a significant impact on the way we learn today and in the future.