The concepts of e-Learning and
MicroLearning
Let's start this
essay by expressing how those English speaking countries have influenced,
through their technological achievements, other countries´ citizens´ awareness
of their need to learn the English language: Mexico is a clear example. In
spite of its geographical proximity to the United States of America, English teaching
comes very late in the official curriculum in the official educational system.
As a matter of fact, those who speak English relatively well, usually come from
private schools which use the learning of a new language as a marketing and
social tool. If the pupil becomes bilingual -either in French or English- he or
she can use the new language acquired as a status symbol, which in turn can
open up for him or her, better employment opportunities.
In this essay we
will approach the online courses, namely the very innovative MicroLearning, which is part of e-Learning and owes its name to its very compact format
which makes it a very practical version for training on the digital platforms.
What does
Microlearning consist of?
The English term Microlearning could be translated as Learning by Drops, or Learning by Capsules. However, to avoid
confusion, we will continue using the English word(s). In this Tech avalanche, so that Internet users learn different
topics in greater depth, but in small doses and with a wide variety of topics
to choose from.
This methodology
contrasts with long-term courses; no longer sought after as avidly as before
by people who have now assumed family
obligations, and whose jobs do not allow them enough time to attend full-time to
a technological college or a university.
Nowadays, workers
feel very pressured by the importance given to the professional title or
diploma. The present employee is now in the urgent need to finish his truncated
studies, or to become certified in some aspect of modern technology, and the
Internet has become a concrete possibility to study and get a certification. So
online, these people can now finish a university degree or they can even take a
master's degree and subsequently aspire to achieve a PhD. All this, without attending an
educational center, even if they do have to pay some amount for enrolling, or
for monthly or quarterly tuition; or maybe advance a lump sum to cover the cost
of the training they will receive.
As explained by Diego Sánchez, the executive director of Vértice e-Learning: ¨ Microlearning, also known in Spanish, as micro-aprendizaje, could be defined as a methodology divided into small,
inter-related training contents. A product that arises from the adaptation of
traditional training to the consumer society within the fast concept of 'here
and now'. This modality is organized around 'learning pills', that is to say,
small training modules with a duration that should not exceed 30 minutes.
Microlearning is based on the idea that the fragmented contents fit the
interval of attention in which the human brain remains concentrated¨.
For companies: microlearning
means the possibility of offering users an updated and immediate experience of
continuous training. When the course is taught through a modular format, this
approach allows creating different teaching alternatives with its contents.
For users: under this modality
they can access -when and where they want- relevant updated contents. The new
knowledge assimilate and settle with greater ease, since these contents are
oriented to work specific areas of the sector in which the interested party
works, or wishes to work.
The author of the
article mentions that 'microlearning' contents
have become a trend on the internet, but he makes it clear these should
invariably adjust to the following modalities:
•
To
informal Learning. It should be based on the
exchange of ideas and be cooperative.
•
To
Briefness in its text. Each individual pill
must keep in mind it cannot last longer than 15 minutes
•
To its Responsive nature. This brief course must also keep in mind that
every webpage nowadays has to be properly seen on all devices, but at the same
time keeping its structure as well as its original order.
•
Interactividy. It is also a dynamic formation and it is based
on gamification.
•
Re-usability. It is expected to have flexible contents
oriented towards learning of multiple platforms.
These make up the
reasoning behind the rise of this microlearning trend, which also responds to a
real market demand and intends to continue to stay at the forefront of online
learning.
Microlearning, which
is one of the e-Learning solutions of the Vértice platform, follows a
methodology made up of small, inter-related training contents, which it calls "learning pills".
This is a product
that arises from the adaptation of traditional educational training to that of
society´s fast consumption 'here and now'.
Such modality is organized around 'learning pills',
that is to say, small training modules with a duration that never exceeds 30
minutes. This 30-minute margin is based on scientific
basis, since such fragmented contents are adjusted to the interval of attention
in which the human brain remains concentrated.
Regarding users, this modality facilitates access to relevant
and updated content, when and where they want it. The new knowledge is
assimilated and settled more easily, and it is oriented to work specific areas
of the work environment for the student on-line.
Historical
Panorama of Distance Education in Mexico
E-learning is the
modern version of what in Mexico was understood in the 1930´s or 1940´s as Distance Education, which was essentially
education by mail. This approach, even in those years, was different from
conventional education, especially college education, since it was only
available in Mexico City and one or two of the major urban centers of the
Mexican Republic.
The Network of Scientific Journals of Latin America and the
Caribbean, Spain and Portugal (redalyc.org.), In their essay
entitled PANORAMA OF DISTANCE EDUCATION IN MEXICO, its authors Zaira
Navarrete-Cazales * Héctor Manuel Manzanilla-Granados ** Navarrete -Cazales, Z. and
Manzanilla-Granados, HM (2017) make a summary in the Latin
American Journal of Educational Studies, titled PANORAMA ON DISTANCE
EDUCATION IN MEXICO. The authors used documentary sources that helped them put
together a historical review of Distance Education and its current status in Mexico.
It is interesting to note that in the 20th century, Mexico was one of the
countries most concerned with offering distance education; that became, the
antecedent of what is now called e learning.
The driving force of
distance education was the urgent need to bring literacy to rural populations.
For example, since 1941, Mexico set up the Primary
School for Adult Broadcasting. Later on, in 1944 the Federal Institute for
Teacher Training was founded, offering courses by mail to teachers who trained
peasants. These courses lasted six years, under two modalities: the Escuela por Correspondencia, where courses were begun
and the teacher was trained at the work center itself. After that, the courses
were completed at The Oral School to which
they had to attend during the the period of teachers´ holidays. This improved
the training since in those years 76% of the federal teachers and 86% of the
rural teachers did not have a teaching degree.
Many years later,
in 1966, another phase of distance education began; the so-called Telesecundaria
project (Middle school teaching). Classes were taught live thanks to microwave technology and a
closed circuit television. In this way, the academic program of secondary
schools was taught, as these institutions were not in a position to meet the
demand for secondary education in sparsely populated areas, generally with
rural or indigenous inhabitants.
Later in the decade
of the 70's an open high school model was implemented with the assistance of
the Technological Institute of Monterrey, and
it was right there, in Monterrey, where the first educational television
channel in Latin America was created, with an emphasis on those basic
educational levels .
Later on, by 1972 the Autonomous University of
Mexico, created the Open University System, to promote independent study, doing away with those obstacles such as
those of time, place, age, work, and so forth, that prevented students from gaining
a university degree. Later, in 1997 it established the Coordination
of Open University and Distance Education.
Not to be outdone,
the National Polytechnic Institute adopted, in 1974, an Open Teaching System in
several of its schools, beginning with an International Trade degree.
For 2007, the
Polytechnic created the so-called Polivirtual,
which offers baccalaureate or senior high school courses, bachelor's,
post-graduate studies, as well as other educational services, but now with the
support of information technologies
available, as well as that provided by modern communications.
As we can now see, Mexico was one of the
pioneer countries in Latin America, to set up and carry out distance education.
During this second decade of the second millenium, several institutions and
companies have adopted e-learning,
making use of the great reservoir of experience obtained in the field of
education at a distance.
All of this, is not just an effort of an individual country, but of the
whole of Latin America, and the world itself. Nowadays, just by having access to
the internet, you can access high level
training (even Ivy League Universities, among others) and a very specific one.
However, we must understand the users´ evolution in terms of work and vision, in the world. On the other hand, we
should not set aside companies such as Netflix and Google which no longer
require titles and diplomas of high educational ranking. These firms focus on
the individual himself or herself being hired, and on his or her work skills.
We do not know what the next step of these learning topics will be. However,
at
Kreativeco we do know that
knowledge is increasingly accessible to the world population, providing opportunities
for professionalization and opening up scenarios for the
employee´s personal growth. This new knowledge of such issues, help us find for
our clients real solutions that may be up to the level of what is now available
in our world,; and that is bringing forth tangible results to its high
performance teams.
* Link to this article:
https://www.vertice.org/blog/que-es-el-microlearning/
Kreativeco
Edgardo Flores Rivas y Luis Edgardo Flores Bolívar,
Ciudad de México.
October 21st., 2018.
COMENTARIOS