How can we use microlearning to enhance university teaching?

A rise in microlearning and “bite-sized” courses has been fuelled by post-pandemic shifts, such as increased digital engagement and flexible learning preferences. However, even though we are back in the classroom, they still offer significant advantages both as stand-alone courses and in augmenting existing material. 

Why the increased interest in microlearning?

During the pandemic, asynchronous lectures required us to use short videos based on the understanding that students (and staff) were spending long days in front of a computer. Many, including James Hartley and Ivor K. Davies in Note-Taking: A Critical Review, have suggested students’ attention starts to decline after about 15 minutes, and even TED limits its talks to 18 minutes. 

However, this 15-minute figure is debatable, with experiments into student attention span feeling unconvincing. Attempts have measured student attention spans by monitoring heart rates, observing signs of boredom and collecting self-reports of boredom, with the only consistent finding being that attention span length is primarily dependent on how engaging the lecturer is, irrespective of the teaching format. Two-hour face-to-face sessions are the norm at many universities, but it’s hard to stay focused for that length of time. This is especially true for people with certain conditions. 

Microlearning units, originally delivered in person, generally last between five and 15 minutes and cover the essentials of a topic. They have been around for decades, although the term has only been in use since 2002. The digital age has allowed microlearning to flourish and it has a number of benefits. 

A short course on the essentials provides students with “just-in-time” learning, an approach that prioritises providing students with the educational material they need at the exact moment they need it. This can suit working students who have limited time to study and prefer accessing content during moments like commuting. These courses can be created faster, making them more agile and easier to keep up to date, and are more cost-effective to develop. 

Microcontent is particularly effective for long-term memory because it allows students to easily review content multiple times, which makes it useful for exam revision. The BBC Bitesize model is a testament to this. Launched in 1998 for GCSE students, it is now accessed by nearly 4 million people per week, with user numbers peaking during exam periods. Its units can also be used by universities as tasters for modules to help students make their optional selections. 

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Universities can also offer these short courses externally to supplement income. While there is considerable competition from LinkedIn, YouTube and others that offer free courses, universities are in a good position to compete. As well as offering pedagogic and subject matter expertise, their trusted brands and recognised certifications appeal to prospective students. Institutions should ensure their offerings suit the needs of a diverse range of learners to expand their student populations digitally.

What can we do to make these engaging to the TikTok generation?

Microlearning can supplement existing courses in the form of homework or revision exercises. Students can also use them to gain extracurricular add-ons in topics such as leadership and entrepreneurship at times that are convenient to them. With this in mind, make sure content is accessible on different devices. 

The design of microlearning units is critical because the brain has limited working memory. For it to purely focus on processing and retaining the information it is important to present the material in a way that doesn’t overload learners’ cognitive capacity. It needs to be well structured, feature clear explanations and omit any irrelevant material. It is important to have clear learning outcomes, a richness of media, a degree of interactivity and a sense of personalisation. 

Liven up the learning experience by gamifying your content as we did at the University of Manchester. Use cartoons or animations and short tests throughout, which can be especially useful for training courses where learners need to show what they have learned to pass the course. Try to encourage peer-to-peer interaction and, most importantly, regardless of what format you use, be interesting!

Robert A. Phillips is a senior lecturer at Alliance Manchester Business School, the University of Manchester.

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