This blog article was written prior to LEO Learning becoming part of GP Strategies.
The phrase “new normal” has now become part of our everyday language, but, as the situation continues to evolve, it can be hard to pin down what the “new normal” actually is. From mass remote working through to the considerable changes to customer relationship management, one thing is for sure: in L&D, we have to be quicker than ever to adapt to the changes in working life—and everything that means for compliance training programs.
Why Microlearning for Compliance Training?
We’re more than half a year into this “new normal”, so we’ve all had plenty of time to pivot our learning strategies, embark on digital transformation, and learn how to manage compliance training at a distance. Now is the perfect time to review your compliance training program to ensure that it is on message, sustainable, adaptable, and scalable in the long term.
This is where microlearning principles come in.
From information retention to increasing completion rates, microlearning in any area of learning and development has a huge range of benefits. When it comes to compliance training specifically, here are four key benefits.
1. Microlearning Improves Information Retention
As the world of work continues to change, it’s vital that any new training is impactful, understandable, and digestible. One of the best things about microlearning is the breakdown of complex topics into accessible nuggets of information.
Typically running at 2-10 minutes long, microlearning condenses training down to its purest form. This means that the brain no longer needs to filter out extraneous information. This, in turn, leads to greater retention of the key messages and the ability to deliver specific action points.
2. Microlearning Requires Less Bandwidth
Up until recently, most compliance training has taken place within the workplace, using the strong Wi-Fi provided. But with more of us working from home, and in many homes multiple people needing greater access to the same internet supply, it’s important to consider connectivity and bandwidth issues, especially when delivering mandatory compliance content. Nothing annoys a learner more than a course that fails to record their completion or test score properly.
Due to its shortened form, microlearning requires a lot less bandwidth than longer, media-rich forms of training content. While animation, for example, is kinder to internet bandwidth than video, the shorter bites of eLearning content allow for easier access while using weaker internet connections.
3. Microlearning Is Easier to Adapt at Scale
The “new normal” is still changing and developing. Microlearning offers both increased flexibility and a more rapid, responsive delivery option.
For example, if your information security policies change in response to new risks, a targeted microlearning solution can be developed and rolled out at scale and at speed. This is a much shorter lead time than a full-length module.
Microlearning can also be used to address interim training needs, such as refreshers and updates.
4. Microlearning Is Flexible for the Time-Poor Workforce
Whatever the new working environment brings for your workforce, there are many demands on their time. Some are spending too long in front of a screen and are ‘Zoomed out’. Others are busy working with customers or are in front-line professions away from screens for long periods of time.
The shorter seat times offered by microlearning addresses this problem and provides bite-size learning interventions that fit more easily into the working day.
Need help with delivering bite-sized compliance training at a distance? Talk to us about your training needs.
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