
In the fast-paced world of technology, continuous learning is not just an advantage, it’s a necessity. But not everyone has the time, resources or employer support to take on a graduate degree or invest in a new professional certification. Traditional education options also often struggle to keep pace with newly emerging and rapidly evolving technologies.
What is Microlearning?
Enter microlearning: bite-sized learning experiences designed for maximum impact and minimal time commitment. Microlearning involves short, focused bursts of learning delivered through various formats, such as short videos, interactive quizzes, infographics, and even podcasts that cover specific topics, making them ideal for busy professionals who need to acquire new skills or refresh existing knowledge quickly. Many companies are utilizing microlearning platforms as a way of delivering training and compliance content to employees.
Microlearning is not only cost effective, but it can also be made to fit your schedule. Once you get in a learning mindset, it is often a more refreshing and energizing use of your down time than Netflix and chill. Absorbing information in small, digestible chunks minimizes the cognitive load, preventing information overload and making learning less overwhelming. Material that is short and to-the-point improves your focus and attention. Gaining new knowledge helps boost your confidence, and can increase your motivation and engagement. Exercising the mind also enhances memory and recall.
The knowledge you acquire also has potential benefits. It can often be immediately applied to work tasks, boosting efficiency and innovation. You can also target your learning and skill development to specific areas or new technologies that will position you for advancement or ensure your career vitality in a rapidly changing technological environment.
So Where Can You Access “Microlearning?
Professional Societies like IEEE offer a wide variety of online webinars and coursework, some of which can even be used to earn certifications or satisfy continuing education requirements for licensure. Most require you to invest at least an hour of your time per session. You can also engage in microlearning by attending local speaker events in your membership Section, and the sessions and tutorials offered at technical conferences focused on new trends and technologies and their applications.
Apps and Online Learning Platforms like Coursera, Khan Academy, edX, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, Codeacademy, Pluralsight, and A Cloud Guru offer a variety of video tutorials, short courses, interactive exercises, and gamified learning experiences covering a wide range of technical and professional topics. Many of their offerings are free. Search your App store for “microlearning” apps to see what options are available that fit your interests. Apps like Headway and Blinkist digest the core ideas from non-fiction books on a variety of business topics related to soft skills, such as leadership, communication, and offer both text and audio summaries.
Instead of scrolling funny pet videos on your socials, try investing 15 minutes each day to the latest video content released on technology-oriented channels such as FreeCodeCamp, NetNinja, SmarterEveryDay, CrashCourse and Veritasium. Use search tools to find topics of specific interest to you, and browse the offerings until you see something that strikes your fancy. Then Like and Subscribe your favorites to keep the content coming in your social media feed.
A number of companies maintain official websites and video channels with microlearning content built around their tools and software, such as Google for Developers, which is currently highlighting how their new Gemini AI can unlock creativity and simplify your workflow. Another is Amazon’s AWS Educate, where you can find in-depth technical content to help build your cloud skills.
If you’re one of the many who like to listen to music or podcasts while commuting or exercising, try technical podcasts such as the AmpHour Electronics, CircuitBreak, Software Engineering Daily, or the Changelog. The Born to Engineer website has compiled the top 56 engineering podcasts for 2024.
Tech blogs and newsletters feature news, tutorials and thought leadership pieces on various tech topics. There are hundreds to choose from or subscribe to, often with a specific technical or topical focus. Some of the popular ones highlighted by the folks at BetterStack include: Hacking Scale, Refactoring, The Pragmatic Engineering, Software Lead Weekly, Irrational Exuberance, Leadership in Tech, and Early-Stage Startup Engineering. Just pick your topic and do a search and you’ll find them. When I needed to get up to speed on AI, I tried several — The Rundown, Mindstream, TLDR AI, and BensBites — and found something useful and enlightening on each one.
Typically free and just a few clicks away, microlearning offers a powerful solution for technical professionals seeking continuous learning and skill development that can easily fit into your daily or weekly schedule. By embracing this approach, you will be better positioned to keep up with the technology curve, apply newly gained knowledge to enhance your skills, and prepare yourself for the next phase of your career.