Installing Boundaries:
Using the Form Factors Our Learners Prefer
Long PowerPoint presentations, 30 or 60 minute elearning modules, and other 20th century content are neither appealing nor effective.
If we use the form factors our learners like, our learners will engage with the content.
As we start transforming a learning team, an early goal might be to put 60% of new content into the four categories below. Later that number might rise to 80% or higher.
Microlearnings are a great way to learn one thing at a time.
We define microlearnings as short, online learning experiences of five minutes or less, taken, or retaken, at the learner’s discretion.
Challenges are central to participatory learning.
They’re learning experiences requiring people to do something, perhaps collaborating within a small group, creating a project, or teaching someone else.
Job Aids are tools for learning/support used just in time.
Frequently, people use job aids to complete unfamiliar tasks or to consult a mental model. Examples include checklists, flowcharts, one-pagers, and cheat sheets.
Documentation is a broad category of optional content neither required nor intended to be “swallowed whole.”
Reference guides, background or in-depth videos, volumes, and podcasts are all included in this category.