Microlearning with swipeslides: one idea per slide

What microlearning is, and what it is not

Microlearning is not a long course in smaller print. It is a design choice: each learning moment has one goal, can be done in a few minutes and ends with something you can do. A learning journey then consists of a series of those moments, in an order that makes sense.

It is also not the same as "watching short videos". Watching is passive. The difference lies in what the learner does: answering a question, ordering something, making a choice, speaking an answer. Whoever has to do something remembers more than whoever only sees.

Why it works: working memory and retrieval

Two insights from learning psychology underpin microlearning. The first is the limit of working memory: we can only hold a few things at once. Cognitive load theory (the work of John Sweller) shows that learning goes better when you limit the load to what is needed. One idea per slide is a direct translation of that.

The second is the testing effect, also called retrieval practice: whoever tries to recall something from memory strengthens the memory trace more than whoever rereads it. Every question in a swipeslide is therefore not a test afterwards but part of the learning itself.

What can you do in a swipeslide?

CoVince comes with 36 slide types as standard. A selection:

• multiple choice, multiple answers, ordering and sorting or matching;
• open questions whose answer the AI assesses, with feedback;
• scales of three or five points;
• speaking an answer, a video answer, a photo or a drawing;
• a 360 video, a 3D room scan and a conversation with an avatar;
• minigames, a leaderboard, learner-versus-learner challenges and a question to the community.

This way the kind of action varies, which holds attention. You can first have learners read the same material, then order it and then apply it in a case.

At your own pace, at your own moment

A swipeslide learning journey remembers where you were: progress is stored on the server, so you pick it up again on another phone or laptop. That makes it possible to learn on the train, between two appointments or just before a customer conversation.

That is more than comfort. Whoever touches the material in small pieces over several days gets, naturally, the spacing that memory research recommends. Read more in spaced repetition.

How to design a good swipeslide learning journey

1. Start with the behaviour. What should the learner be able to do afterwards? Every slide should contribute to that.
2. One idea per slide. If a slide has two ideas, make it two slides.
3. Make the learner do something. A question, a choice or an assignment; not just reading.
4. Vary the form. A series of ten multiple-choice questions gets boring; mix in ordering, a case and a conversation.
5. Give feedback that says something. Not just right or wrong, but why. See feedback that works.
6. End with application. A slide that asks what you will do tomorrow builds the bridge to the work.

An example: a procedure in six slides

Say you want new colleagues to handle a complaint well. Instead of a presentation you build six slides. First a short case: an angry customer calls. Then a multiple-choice question: what do you do first? Next an ordering question with the four steps of your approach, a slide where the learner speaks an answer, a short leaderboard question and a closing question: what will you do differently tomorrow?

Six moments, each with one idea, and at every moment the learner does something. Together they may take ten minutes, but in those ten minutes more is retrieved and applied than in an hour of listening. That is the whole idea of microlearning: not less learning, but more active and in smaller pieces.

Pitfalls of microlearning

Microlearning can also go wrong. Three things to watch for:

• Fragmentation. If you chop a complex topic into pieces that are too small, the learner no longer sees the whole. Give each learning journey a clear line and start with the goal.
• Facts only. Short pieces suit knowledge, but skills need practice. Combine swipeslides with conversations and scenarios. See practising with an AI role-play.
• No link with the work. A fun app where nobody does anything with what they learn helps nobody. Link the learning journey to the work process. See learning in the flow of work.

A good rule of thumb: every slide must have an answer to the question "why do I need to know this for my work?".

Points, coach and read-aloud

On the learner side you get points per question (fewer on a second attempt), an AI coach in the lesson and feedback on open answers. The text can be read aloud, which helps people who prefer listening or learn on the move. Every participant can get their own variant of a question, so sitting next to each other does not help. You can read more about the reward side in rewards without the gamification pitfalls.