The concept

It’s hard to pay attention when information is presented to you through a long, seemingly endless lecture, where grasping the end of one concept and the start of another is far from simple. Microlearning is an educational approach by which information is taught in shortened “bite-sized” chunks of content in order to achieve a certain specific objective. The term is a major buzzword in the field of e-learning, as well as the corporate world, which saves time normally used up in training. According to a research report by the Association for Talent Development (a non-profit association aiming to provide support to people developing skills and talent in the workplace), talent development professionals have stated that a microlearning segment should not exceed 13 minutes. 

Why choose to microlearn?

Why is it that microlearning has become popular? Two words: Attention span. 

In a study published on 18 October, 2025 regarding students in kindergarten through second grade in the United States, 75% of teachers stated that the attention span of the children had dropped since the start of the COVID pandemic, when devices were the key source of education. But a low attention span doesn’t diminish the learner’s capability. It means that information gets processed differently than that which comes from traditional lessons and teaching methods. It is similar to how students are normally advised against cramming for tests, which may help them remember content for the next day’s exam, but not after that. By delivering information in short bursts and focusing on a single objective, microlearning allows the learner to retain the knowledge they are taught.

Even in the workplace of industries, microlearning is popular due to the fact that it reduces the time and resources that are normally used up for training. With online platforms, users can have constant access to information anytime they want, which provides an advantage over their busy schedules. 

Learners have also held a desire for courses that would mainly touch upon subject matter related to their individual career goals. For this reason, customised and personalised sessions are also tailored for separate needs. 

Tools and examples

There are multiple ways of microlearning, as many different tools and platforms are utilised for the process. Once the learning objective is identified (based on the learner), the tailored content is then broken down and served to learner in many ways:

• Short videos: tutorial videos, explainers, or animations that don’t go on for longer than five to seven minutes.
• Infographics: Visual representation of data that presents complex content in a slightly more understandable way.
• Games: Present the information in the form of fun, interactive games that provide feedback on the user’s current understanding of the topic.
• Quizzes: Not like the normal test or exam, but can generate an opportunity for self evaluation.

You may know of these popular apps for the skills and subjects they teach users. But you must know that by utilising these apps on a regular basis, you are essentially microlearning!

Duolingo: An incredibly popular language learning app that provides users with step-by-step courses for learning the language of their choice, all the way from the basics. 

BeFreed: An AI-driven app and learning platform created by a group of alumni from Columbia University. This app is for those who enjoy experts’ guidance, entrepreneurship, self-help, and the overall genre of non-fiction. This app provides you with customised summaries of notable books that cover these topics.

Brilliant: An app created for STEM, which breaks down complex topics in math and science with interactive and personalised lessons.

Elevate: An app that provides users with personalised brain training exercises that target their memory, concentration, and communication.