7 Awesome Microlearning Examples

Many companies are looking for the benefits of microlearning – less time away from work, personalization, accessibility, strong retention – but it can be hard to get started without seeing effective examples. So we’ve put together a list of great microlearning examples that range from training to cooking. We hope seeing the creative ways other people are using microlearning will help spark creativity as you design your own courses.

1. Principles of STEM Communication

This course was created for Northwestern University as a way to help students from a wide range of backgrounds and grade levels understand how to talk about science. Using an AllenComm structure called a 5-in-5, this course teaches five principles in five minutes. Learners can engage with the information, getting just the basics or diving deeper into any of the specifics with video examples, additional resources and ways to apply the principles.

2. Play with Oreo

Oreo is inspiring bakers with simple illustrated videos that are all less than 25 seconds. By making Oreo recipes look delicious and easy, they show viewers how simple it is to make something great and the recipes are linked just below the video.

3. Domino’s Pizza Maker

We created an interactive, gamified micro course for Domino’s to help employees learn how to make pizza more quickly and accurately. Franchise owners like the small modules because it meant less time away from work, and employees like how memorable and engaging the course is.

4. Duolingo

This free, gamified language app uses short lessons that involve speaking, listening and translating. Learners earn points through different types of quizzes, and they get instant grading so they know where to improve. Duolingo does a great job of combining the power of microlearning with the strengths of gamification to create one of the most popular language programs across all devices.

5. BuzzFeed Food TV

Just like Oreo, BuzzFeed is taking advantage of social media to make microlearning that’s fun and shareable. You can see ways to make dinner or desserts in a waffle maker and hundreds of recipes in short, easy-to-follow videos across multiple social platforms.

6. Fighting the Forgetting Curve infographic

Infographics are a great way to easily communicate information. By combining visuals with text, you get a microlearning asset that’s easy to access and straightforward. Infographics tell a story to a wide audience in a way that’s easy for many people to understand. It’s also simple for learners to refresh if they forget a specific piece of information.

7. Explaining The Dress vine

Remember The Dress? The infamous viral photo had loved ones arguing over the meaning of color and perception when no one could agree on #whiteandgold or #blackandblue. Pulling a page out of the STEM communication playbook, this Vine video only needs a few seconds to show why the world was seeing two different dresses. Just because the underlying concept is complex doesn’t mean microlearning can’t help us understand it.

Ready to get started building your own microlearning? Look at our microlearning checklist to see what you need to get going.