How Useful Is Microlearning for Higher Education?

Abstract

In the last decade and a half, the expansion of mobile and digital technologies has enabled the development of microlearning that goes beyond the original concept of learning in bites aiming at improved knowledge retention. The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential of technology-enhanced microlearning in higher education. Compared to corporate training, microlearning in higher education has been less explored and is less widespread. Based on the literature review, research and development, and the pedagogical experiences of the authors, the study reveals two benefits of using microlearning in higher education. First, microlearning enables learning experiences that are close to real-world problems and current corporate training practices, as well as to the way information is acquired and processed in digital society. Second, through appropriate instructional design and technology integration, microlearning enables the development of not only basic competencies but also complex ones. The authors’ exploratory research shows that students creating microlearning educational resources is a particularly promising approach in terms of both student motivation and the development of complex competencies.