Trends in Adult Education: Microlearning

In my search for what is considered new and hot in adult education I came across the term microlearning many times. Enough times that it made me want to know more.

What I found was a very cool concept of lesson delivery.

So what exactly is microlearning?

Microlearning is a form of spaced learning. Micro, meaning small. It is presented as small snippets of content heavy information, delivered to the learner on a daily basis. This is done through the use of apps, allowing the coursework to be delivered to the learner quickly, anywhere in the world, via their mobile device.

While microlearning may be a modern concept, the science behind it is not. German psychologist, Hermann Ebbinghaus, pioneer of the experimental study of memory, can be credited as the first to give a name to the concept of spaced learning. His findings were that long-term retention of information is improved when studying is spread out over time, in a repetitive form.

I found a great online article about the brain science of microlearning by Victoria Zambito, titled The Brain Science of Microlearning: Why it Works. It brings home why Ebbinghaus’s initial spaced learning theory is applicable to today’s learner. In a world where we have access to information at lightning speed, it makes sense that the expectations and characteristics of the learner have evolved. Why would I want to sit in an hour-long lecture, when I could access the usable portions of the lecture in 5 minutes of my time, on my device, from anywhere, at anytime?

The numbers behind this trend amazed me. As reported in 2015 by Karla Gutierrez on shiftelearning.com as to why bite sized learning is better for your learners:

Microlearning makes the transfer of learning 17% more efficient
Microlearning creates 50% more engagement
8 out of 10 Learning and Development professionals favor microlearning because their learners prefer it
Learning in stretches of 3 to 7 minutes matches the working memory capacity
Microlearning courses can be produced in 300% less time and at 50% less cost than traditional courses

I am so excited to start integrating microlearning into my workplace. I plan to use it as an instructor development tool for my staff, but I can see it taking on a much larger role when it comes to curriculum delivery in our classes. Because the programs I oversee at my college are vocational in nature, I would love to test this out for the theory component of our courses, leaving more time for practical applications. I am not threatened by this tool, as many teachers may be. I understand that we need to evolve in our role as educators, and that means that traditional lecturing may become a thing of the past.

I found Ed: The Mobile LMS in my search for a microlearning platform. I signed up for a free account and am currently at the stage of testing it out. You can check out Ed: The Mobile LMS here: https://www.edapp.com/

What do you think about microlearning? I would love to know. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section.

–Audrey

This post was created as part of the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program at Vancouver Community College. You can access their website here. To access the School of Instructor Education Facebook page click here.

Trends in My Field

2018 has brought a year of change to the beauty industry. Specifically, the introduction and gaining popularity of more invasive treatments. Have you heard of microneedling? Chances are, in the Insta-driven world of beauty, you have. You may not understand what it means, but you have probably heard the term somewhere. Maybe you have even seen images depicting blood soaked, smiling faces.

Even Vogue is talking about these results driven treatments. Click here to access their February 23, 2016 online article by Jolene Edgar, featuring microneedling as the new fountain of youth.

https://www.vogue.com/article/microneedling-skin-care-next-big-thing

For a mainstream publication, this article does actually bring up factual and valid points regarding the history and safety of the procedure. I often find that a lot of articles found in fashion magazines do not, so this was a pleasant surprise. I dislike the image they chose to head the post though. It gives the reader an impression that is not accurate. Yes, much like they state in the article, large gauge needles were traditionally used. But they haven’t been for a couple of decades now, so why use that kind of image. Especially since there are so many more accurate images out there.

Needle Head — This is what a typical microneedling pen device looks like

As someone who has worked in this industry for 20 years, I have seen a lot changes. But nothing like the changes that have occurred over the past couple of years.

So what do you do if you are an Esthetician or Beauty Therapist, and your clients are coming in saying that they want these types of treatments? Of course you don’t want to turn them away, and you definitely don’t want them to get on the internet and order the at home version!

The demand for these types of treatments has created a huge shift in the world of beauty education. If you live in Canada, chances are there is no regulation in your field. That means it can become very confusing to choose a place to further your education, because there is also very little regulation when it comes to the continuing education offered to the industry.

Currently Health Canada is looking at some of the devices we have been using, and they will eventually create guidelines around the use of them. That could go either way for us. If you are an individual who has sunk a huge investment into these devices and your training, and built a business or clientele around it, it could be life changing to suddenly have these things taken from you.

So how do we decide what devices and treatments to go after?

I would say, in my experience, to look at the history of the treatment or device. This industry is cyclical. Everything comes back in one form or another. Ask yourself some honest questions:

Has this been around for many years?

What education should I seek to safely deliver the treatment?

Am I comfortable offering this type of service?

Will my insurance provider cover me for this treatment?

Is this device Health Canada approved?

If you are looking to see if a device or treatment has approval from Health Canada search here:

Medical Devices Active License Listing (MDALL)

https://health-products.canada.ca/mdall-limh/index-eng.jsp

Unfortunately, a lot of brands may mislead you, saying that they do have Health Canada approval, or that they have FDA approval (not actually recognized in Canada). You MUST do your own due diligence.

I do not mean to be doom and gloom over here. What I do recognize though, is that this industry is changing at a rate that is faster than the regulators behind it (if that) can keep up. Please do not fall into the trendy Insta-world of beauty. Some of these “educators” are simply looking to make a quick dollar. Do your research, it will serve you in the end.

As someone who is an educator in this field all of this growth and change have brought some challenges when it comes to delivering up to date information. Many devices cost thousands of dollars. The average professional, Health Canada approved microneedling pen is around $4,000 CAD just for the device, never mind the consumables you will need to continually purchase for it. The average laser platform will run you about $200,000 CAD, often more. So how do we, as an education facility afford to constantly upgrade and add devices? The quick answer is, we often can’t. This means that we need to make highly informed, good choices when it comes to purchasing equipment. I have to be more careful than ever when making these decisions. I look at quality, and what kind of continued manufacturer support is offered.

Remember how I brought up microneedling? I did that on purpose. I used that example because it is everywhere right now, under many a name. But you know what? It also has been around for decades. That’s what I mean about this industry being cyclical. There are the tried and true, and microneedling would be an example of that.

Audrey Microneedling — That’s me and a very happy microneedling client

If you would like to learn more about microneedling and why it is so effective, please visit my article on wound healing. Link listed below.

https://theskinteach.com/2017/09/24/microneedling-wound-healing/

Are you on Instagram? Does skin care and skin science interest you? Follow me @theskinteach to see my posts.

–Audrey

A bit about me…

I have been in adult education for the past ten years. When I started on my teaching journey, it was in the form of short workshops. I was teaching very specific skills, in a very short time. Several years ago I took on the role of full time educator. I have been actively trying to be a better mentor and educator every day since then. This blog will follow my journey through my adult education courses.

If you are interested in learning more about the School of Instructor Education through Vancouver Community college check out their Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/VCCSchoolOfInstructorEducation/

-Audrey