Benefits of Microlearning for Utility Emergency Training

Microlearning might just be the next wave of best-in-class utility training.  This concept reflects a shift in how we process information, and it’s a shift mainly attributable to the internet, and secondarily, the relentless nature of advertising in our society.

What is Microlearning?

Most of us are used to being educated in classroom or conference room settings, sitting through hour-plus presentations designed to give us enough information about a complex subject to be dangerous. 

But thanks to the internet and the accompanying access we all have to endless information, coupled with society’s increasingly ubiquitous marketing halo, our attention spans are decreasing.  With regard to the internet in particular, it is said that advertisers have less than 5 seconds to grab someone’s attention.  Compare this to several decades ago, when we essentially had no choice but to sit through the entirety of marketing pitches.

This is where microlearning comes into play – it is designed to present small, bite-sized, targeted nuggets of information whenever and wherever the student wants.  Structurally, microlearning aims to present information on a regular basis, sometimes daily.  The goal is to use repetition and practice to improve knowledge retention.  It’s also a good way to make productive use of downtime.

To be clear, I do not think this concept replaces traditional training, exercises and drills, especially from an emergency preparedness perspective.  Rather, microlearning should be supplemental.  It’s a way to offer yet another channel for employee education.  This is important because everybody learns differently, so offering another option for knowledge enhancement without impacting work schedules can only be a good thing. 

The bottom line is that microlearning has its place in utility training and education programs.  When deployed strategically, microlearning tactics can help fill in the knowledge gaps that traditional training methods might leave behind.  For that reason alone, it’s worth looking into.