Have we seen the death of bite-sized learning?

Helen Rodway | Senior Vice President, Learning & Development, Precision AQ

Precision AQ’s SVP of L&D, Helen Rodway, raises a challenging question in the trend-driven world of learning and development strategy.

There was a time when the word ‘bite-sized’ was banded around every L&D meeting, proposal or pitch. Micro-learning was king, and it seemed the answer to our busy lives was to offer a ‘slot-in’ learning option to fit between back-to-back meetings and the pressures of day-to-day delivery. Genius, or was it?

At the recent Learning Technologies event, it became clear that the wheels have turned once more, and with the fluidity brought by multiple AI tools and platforms, the importance of human-centred learning has never been more central. This is where ‘bite-sized’ fails to deliver — particularly in the world of medicine and science, where our team are delivering industry leading solutions to complex learning challenges. How can 10 or 15 minutes of content truly do justice to the complexities of the subject matter?

When we talk bite-sized, we mean sliding this in around the busy day, when our attention span is limited and we are entirely task orientated. When our brain is in beta mode, the capacity for retained learning is low. What we really need is engaging content that inspires dedicated learning time. This marks a distinctive shift away from the micro approach. 

Recognising the restrictive nature of bite-sized learning is an important step towards understanding truly human-centred learning. As with many human behaviours, easy does not always equal effective. We don’t necessarily want learning to be the ‘easiest’ option, but more the most effectively in tune with our human capacity to learn and our individual learning styles. 

A classic example is the ‘Netflix’ learning trend, which has fallen out of favour quite rapidly. A large part of the work we do as an L&D team is to support clients in developing carefully crafted learner journeys to deliver organisational or team goals. The so-called ‘Netflix’ approach allows learners to pick and choose what they want to learn, but we know from experience that effective learning needs to be directional, particularly to offer a true ROI from an organisational and personal perspective.

So where next…are we at a crossroads in L&D? The AI opportunity presents efficiencies that should allow us to deliver more for less and across multiple markets more easily. Interestingly, the tide appears to be reverting to a coaching-enhanced and support-based approach. I definitely welcome this return to a foundational, individualised focus.

I guess the next question is…will AI become the coach?