MicroLearning or Macrolearning: Best eLearning Approach?
Have you wonder what is macrolearning? And as an educator or edupreneur, understanding the nature of different forms of learning can help you delivery better learning experience for your students online.
While everyone are delivering in bite-sized information, have you ever wondered about the big picture, the comprehensive approach to learning that goes beyond the quick fixes?
Here we will understand what is macrolearning and explore its differences from microlearning, and discover how it can be a game-changer in your learning journey.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Macrolearning involves deep, structured learning to build a profound understanding of a subject or skill, often guided by instructors or mentors.
- Microlearning offers quick, bite-sized information, while macrolearning provides in-depth exploration and contextual understanding.
- Microlearning is accessible and quick but may lead to fragmented knowledge and oversimplified content, it’s hard to build complex new skills with just microlearning.
- Macrolearning offers comprehensive knowledge but requires significant time and may lack flexibility for quick access.
- Microlearning and Macrolearning are two learning approaches that can be combined to provide a well-rounded elearning experience, there is no one-size-fits-all, a well-designed learning content offers both macro and micro learning.
What is Macrolearning?
Macrolearning is like the grand symphony of learning and development. It’s the process of gradually increasing the complexity of your learning experiences to build a profound understanding of a subject or skill.
Imagine it as a journey where you start with the basics and progressively dive deeper into the subject matter.
Here’s a closer look at what macrolearning means:
- Comprehensive Learning: Macrolearning involves in-depth exploration of a topic, often taking hours or days to complete. It’s the opposite of bite-sized learning; it’s like sitting down to read an entire book instead of just a chapter.
- Structured Approach: Macrolearning is structured, often involving instructors, coaches, and mentors. These guiding figures help learners navigate the complexities of the subject matter.
- Contextual Understanding: It provides an overview and context, allowing learners to build a conceptual understanding of a complex and diverse subject.
- Ideal for Big Moments: Macrolearning shines during significant moments of change or when you need to prepare for a substantial role, like leadership positions.
But why choose macrolearning over microlearning, especially when the latter seems to be all the rage?
Difference Between Microlearning and Macrolearning
Microlearning is all about delivering information in bite-sized, easily digestible pieces. It’s like having an array of searchable resources at your fingertips, ready for you to access whenever you need them.
Macrolearning takes a more structured and comprehensive approach. It’s the equivalent of enrolling in a semester-long course to deeply understand a subject. Here’s where it differs from microlearning:
- Depth vs. Breadth: Microlearning provides surface-level information, offering quick solutions to specific issues. Macrolearning, on the other hand, allows you to explore a subject deeply, building a strong foundation of knowledge.
- Guidance and Support: In microlearning, you’re often on your own, searching for the specific information you need. Macrolearning, in contrast, usually involves instructors, coaches, or mentors who guide you through the learning process.
- Contextual Understanding: Macrolearning provides the context needed to understand complex topics, while microlearning offers isolated pieces of information.
When to Adopt Bite-Sized Microlearning?
Microlearning is perfect when you need to quickly access specific information, solve a problem, or learn a specific skill. It’s like grabbing a quick answer from Google when you have a burning question.
- Learning in Small Bits: Microlearning focuses on short and concise content, making it easy to digest.
- Specific and Quick: It’s perfect for addressing specific learning needs, especially when you don’t have much time.
- Accessible Anytime: Microlearning is readily available, allowing you to pull information when you need it.
Pros and Cons of Microlearning
Microlearning involves learning in small, bite-sized chunks of information, often delivered in concise formats that can be consumed quickly, but it have it’s own pros and cons.
Microlearning Pros:
- Delivers information in bite-sized portions.
- Doesn’t require sitting through long courses.
- Frees learning from the confines of a classroom.
- Ideal for quick access to specific information.
Microlearning Cons:
- May lead to potential misunderstanding due to fragmented knowledge.
- Content might be overly simplified.
- Harder to oversee and control.
When to Adopt Macrolearning?
Macrolearning is your go-to when you want a deep dive into a subject, and gain a thorough understanding, giving you the ability to apply knowledge in a broader context. It’s your comprehensive course that equips you with a solid foundation.
- In-Depth Exploration: It involves a structured approach to delve deep into a subject, offering a holistic understanding.
- Structured Learning: Macrolearning often includes instructors, coaches, and mentors to guide you through the learning journey.
- Contextual Mastery: It provides the context needed for a profound grasp of complex subjects.
Pros and Cons of Microlearning
Macrolearning requires more time and attention. It involves comprehensive content that can take hours or even days to complete, let’s take a look at some of it’s pros and cons.
Macrolearning Pros
- Involves instructors, mentors, and coaches for direct guidance.
- Provides a comprehensive overview and context.
- Ideal for in-depth understanding of complex subjects.
Macrolearning Cons
- Requires a significant time investment.
- Less flexible for quick access to specific information.
- Often held in classroom or Learning Management Systems.
Where Does Macrolearning Shine?
Now that we have a solid understanding of macrolearning, here are a few ideal scenarios where you should adopt macrolearning.
1. Onboarding New Employees
When new hires join an organization, they often require comprehensive training on various aspects of their roles. Macrolearning can provide them with an overview and grounding in the knowledge and skills they require to excel.
2. Compliance Training and Change Management
In areas like compliance training and change management, where adherence to specific rules and processes is critical, macrolearning ensures that employees understand the rules thoroughly and can apply them correctly.
3. Building a Learning Culture
Macrolearning contributes to building a learning culture within an organization. It encourages continuous learning and provides employees with the tools they need to grow and adapt to new challenges.
Challenges of Macrolearning
However, macrolearning is not without its challenges.
Macrolearning can be inflexible and might not provide quick access to specific, time-sensitive information.
The content can also be too extensive, making it time-consuming to navigate and absorb.
Blending Learning: Balancing Micro and Macro Learning
While macrolearning offers a deep and structured approach to learning, it’s not about discarding microlearning altogether. In fact, the best results often come from blending micro and macrolearning appropriately.
- Enhanced Learning Effectiveness: Employees benefit from both bite-sized learning and in-depth exploration.
- Addressing Modern Challenges: Blending provides a solution to the challenges of modern training, catering to different learning styles and preferences.
- Retention and Skill Development: It supports both the retention of learning and the development of soft skills, essential in today’s workplace.
By combining the strengths of both approaches, learners can benefit from more effective learning experiences. You get the in-depth knowledge and skill-building from macrolearning, complemented by the quick, targeted information access of microlearning.
This blend caters to different learning needs and styles, ensuring that learners receive a well-rounded education.
Microlearning or Macrolearning
Understanding the difference between macrolearning and microlearning is crucial in today’s learning and development landscape.
While macrolearning offers a structured and comprehensive approach to learning, microlearning provides quick, on-demand access to specific knowledge.
Blending these two approaches creates a learning culture that promotes continuous learning and caters to the diverse needs of learners.
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Antony C. is a dividend investor with over 15+ years of investing experience. He’s also the book author of “Start Small, Dream Big“, certified PMP® holder and founder of IncomeBuddies.com (IB). At IB, he share his personal journey and expertise on growing passive income through dividend investing and building online business. Antony has been featured in global news outlet including Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq and Non Fiction Author Association (NFAA).
