{"id":5929,"date":"2018-10-03T11:10:27","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T18:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.knowledgecity.com\/blog\/?p=5929"},"modified":"2024-09-17T08:25:57","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T15:25:57","slug":"microlearning-for-millennials-and-generation-z","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.knowledgecity.com\/blog\/microlearning-for-millennials-and-generation-z\/","title":{"rendered":"Microlearning for Millennials and Generation Z"},"content":{"rendered":"

In case you haven\u2019t noticed, it\u2019s a service-on-demand world out there. If you want a meal, you can get one in minutes at the drive-through, or even have one delivered by drone. You can choose a movie, listen to music, or watch a live sports event with just a touch of a button. When it comes to learning, however, there are still gaps between what new generations of workers want and what is available for delivery.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not to say we haven\u2019t moved forward. Professional development courses in the 1990s were usually delivered on-site by an instructor who used PowerPoints to illustrate the key concepts. You received a handout to take with you and were able to ask questions after the session. You may have even forged valuable networking contacts.<\/p>\n

Some of these workshop-style courses lasted an entire day, and included what some participants considered the highlight of the training \u2013 lunch! These courses were instrumental in helping workers move into the age of technology and keep up with rapidly morphing ideas in the workplace. They were also based strongly on the way Baby Boomers and Generation X workers learned.<\/p>\n

\"Focused<\/a><\/p>\n

Enter the latest members of the workforce \u2013 Millennials and Generation Z. Unlike previous generations, both of these cohorts grew up using technology from an early age, finding answers to their problems immediately through apps, search engines and social media. No longer did it seem necessary to slog through the basics of a subject to get to the section you needed to complete a project or learn a necessary skill. A four or six hour workshop seemed like a lot of time wasted when a shorter session would have delivered what you needed.<\/p>\n

This is where microlearning comes in.<\/p>\n

What is microlearning<\/a>? It is quality learning delivered in smaller units that can be learned and applied immediately. It is characterized by better retention rates and works well with the shorter attention spans exhibited by younger generations of workers.<\/p>\n

A study<\/a> done at the University of Rochester (New York) suggests students have an optimal learning experience when a video is six minutes or less. Students become less engaged as they reach the nine-minute mark. Unless they are highly motivated to complete the entire lesson, their engagement continues to sag the longer the video is.<\/p>\n

Is this attention span loss<\/a> the result of the technological changes that foster rapid changes and fragmentation? Or is it the result of more young people<\/a> being diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)? Many Generation Z workers are choosing to forego college<\/a> as being too long and too expensive when they can get the exact training they need to succeed easily and immediately through microlearning.<\/p>\n

While older generations may lament the loss of deep learning experiences grounded in fundamentals, millennial and Gen Z workers find microlearning works for them and the work they are doing. It works for employers, too. Companies<\/a> find microlearning:<\/p>\n