Why micro-learning?
Discover more about why I strongly believe in micro-learning format in general, but for Agile Practices coaching in particular - then subscribe to try out micro-learning courses!
What is micro-learning
Micro-learning is a learning approach that involves delivering small chunks of content in short bursts, usually lasting no more than a few minutes. The goal of micro-learning is to provide learners with just-in-time information and skills that they can apply immediately.
Micro-learning can take many forms, such as short videos, interactive quizzes, or concise written materials. It can be used in a variety of settings, including corporate training, educational settings, and personal development.
One of the main benefits of micro-learning is that it is highly flexible and can be easily integrated into learners' daily routines. It allows learners to learn at their own pace and on their own time, rather than being required to attend long, structured training sessions.
Micro-learning is also particularly effective for learners who have limited time and attention span, as it allows them to focus on specific skills or concepts rather than trying to absorb large amounts of information at once.
Overall, micro-learning is a useful approach for delivering just-in-time learning and skills development to learners in a flexible and efficient manner.
Similarities with Agile
Micro-learning and Agile share several similarities in their focus on flexibility, small, incremental progress, customer satisfaction, and continuous learning and improvement:
Both approaches value flexibility: Micro-learning allows learners to learn at their own pace and on their own time, while Agile is a flexible approach that allows teams to quickly adapt to changing requirements and priorities.
Both approaches emphasize small, incremental progress: Micro-learning involves delivering small chunks of content in short bursts, while Agile involves delivering small, incremental pieces of functionality rather than waiting until the end of the project to deliver a complete product.
Both approaches prioritize customer satisfaction: Micro-learning aims to provide learners with just-in-time information and skills that they can apply immediately, while Agile puts the customer at the center of the development process by regularly gathering and incorporating feedback.
Both approaches involve continuous learning and improvement: Micro-learning encourages learners to continually learn and improve their skills, while Agile promotes a culture of continuous learning and improvement through practices such as retrospectives and regular reviews of processes.
EdApp and Learn Agile Practices: a perfect match
We think that micro-learning is a perfect format for courses and lessons about Agile Practices because I want to create the things that I struggled to find (and often didn't find at all!): this includes not only quality content about Agile Practices, but also distilled, clear content, that allows students to understand a core principle and a basic skill and try to apply it immediately; an interactive one, that makes use of learning concept in an active way.
This is why EdApp is the platform we choose to create our content and community: because it enables not only courses and lessons, but also practical assessments, assignments, video lessons, and quizzes.
Discover more about EdApp here.
But my struggles also include a place where to share problems and practices: what if I didn't have a colleague to practice Pair Programming? What if I don't know someone expert in TDD to help with my first steps? And so on.
This is why I choose to use Substack for this newsletter, to make full use of its community features like discussions and chat.
Conclusion
In summary, I think that micro-learning is a very powerful tool, that can ease the entrance into a topic for novices, but also into advanced pieces of that topic for experts. The interaction with the content ensures that the learning is maximized and also stimulates the learner, pushing him to be curious and find out more.
Remember that by subscribing to this newsletter, you don’t only access our quality content and community on Substack, but also gain access to our micro-learning courses on the EdApp platform.
Some courses you can find are:
Agile Manifesto & Principles
Pair Programming
TDD
And more are to come!
Go Deeper
Here are some resources you can check if you want to go deeper and learn more about what micro-learning is and why it works so well.
Books
Microlearning: short and sweet - a must-have book about the topic, with a lot of tips on how to put microlearning principles into practice
Online
Valamis Microlearning page - a very good introduction to the microlearning topic [blog post]
What is Microlearning [2 minutes explainer] - a microlearning introduction in the microlearning format, from Rued Riis