Earlier this week, we posted about one of the benefits of ‘chunking’ - breaking down elearning into bitesize pieces. But of course, there’s more than one way this approach can help, so let’s look at another.

Do you remember the old washing-up liquid advert in the supermarket, demonstrating how impractical it would be to buy six weeks’ worth of milk in one go - despite the fact you will eventually need it? If not, I’m sure it’s on YouTube. If so, you know where I’m going with this….

Just because your staff need a certain amount of training over the next 12 months, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the best way to deliver it is all in one go.

It’s not practical, or even possible, to learn enormous amounts in one go. If you inundate your staff with messages they will struggle to take everything in, let alone remember it and make positive use of it.

There will always be some subject matter that requires more extensive content than others and to get across all the key messages will require an hour or more of learning. But rather than delivering it in one lump consider separating it into different modules.

We all have a finite capacity in our short term memory and can get overwhelmed by too much data. If you break the learning down into chunks it is easier to absorb as there is less for the learner to focus on at each point. And because they are more likely to absorb what they’re learning, there is a far greater chance that the knowledge will be applied in the workplace.

Although the learner will still get all the messages, because they receive them in a different way the elearning will be more effective. There is no point developing a mass of wonderful content if ultimately it is too much for a learner to remember in one go. Don’t be afraid to give people something short!

If you’re interested in receiving the notes from our Learning Technologies Seminar on elearning tips and trends, including more detail on chunking, please get in touch - info@spongeuk.com