Title: Learning Design Principles
Course: Producing Micro Content in a Team (Digivisio 2030) > Section: How to Create Micro Content?

Learning Design & Micro Content

How do you design micro content or assemble a course based on the principles of micro learning?

Well, in the same way as you would produce any other educational resource. Through solid planning, good course design, and excellent educational resources grounded in academic research. Therefore, you can use frameworks such as ABC, Universal Design for Learning, Bloom's Taxonomy, or Carpe Diem (to name but a few) to design your educational material or course.

There are a few special considerations with microlearning, which Buchem and Hamelmann (2010) have outlined in their work. Their key design principles can help make microlearning accessible and high-quality

- Format—Micro content should be designed in small, bite-sized pieces that can be easily scanned or consumed. The pieces should also be easily adapted to different digital environments.
- Focus—Micro content units should clearly express a specific topic or idea, presenting a concise message that can be expressed in a single sentence or a short text, ensuring clarity and coherence.
- Autonomy—Units should be self-contained, eliminating the need for learners to seek external information. Therefore, it is important to understand the context and prior knowledge of the target audience.
- Structure—Micro content units should be organised to include essential elements such as a title, topic, author, date, tag, and URL.
- Addressability—Micro content should be designed as a single online resource accessible directly via a link.

Bloom's Taxonomy

Bloom's taxonomy is a framework for categorising educational goals. It is a valuable resource for considering intended learning outcomes and organising educator and student objectives alike.

Anderson (2010) states that it helps content creators:

- plan and deliver appropriate instruction,
- design valid assessment tasks and strategies
- ensure that instruction and assessment are aligned with the objectives

ABC Learning Design

The ABC model (developed by UCL Digital Education) brings together colleagues as 'learning design' teams to prototype new and review existing modules and programmes through an engaging hands-on workshop. It's based on the idea that there are six learning types: Acquisition, Investigation, Practice, Discussion, Collaboration and Production. These are then mapped out in a 90-minute collaborative workshop to outline learning content.

The resources are available to download here (link opens in a new window). If you don't want to put together a workshop, you can use the resources independently and storyboard your own course. It's a helpful way to think about the different learning outcomes, activities, and materials.

You can learn more about the workshop and the ABC approach to learning design in the video below.

Universal Design for Learning

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework aims to empower learners, fostering their ability to actively participate in learning and make choices to achieve their learning goals within inclusive and engaging learning environments.

UDL is particularly well-suited to designing microlearning environments or content. It challenges the traditional idea that the educator is the sole authority, creating space for learners to understand the content through interaction and reflection. However, content creators need to examine their biases and assumptions before creating content to help them be open-minded and creative when creating inclusive learning environments.

The UDL framework is a flexible approach that offers concrete suggestions for course design. These suggestions can be applied to any educational course, ensuring all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities. (Cast 2024).

The Universal Design for Learning Guidelines

Carpe Diem

The Carpe Diem method is a collaborative approach to learning design. It focuses on creating effective and forward-looking learning experiences. This method is particularly useful in the context of micro learning and micro content, where the goal is to deliver short, targeted, and highly contextual learning materials.

The Carpe Diem workbook contains several useful, practical examples for creating online learning material. It can be helpful regarding:

- Blueprint Creation: Clearly define the goals and learning outcomes of the micro learning units.
- Storyboarding: Visually plan the learning experience to ensure the flow and connection between components are clear.
- Prototype Development: Create small, stand-alone learning activities (e-tivities) that can be quickly implemented.
- Feedback Collection: Ask colleagues or learners to provide feedback on the micro learning units and make necessary adjustments.
- Action Planning: Develop a detailed plan for implementing the micro learning units and ensure all team members know their responsibilities.

Read more

Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom's Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [01.10.2024] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/
Bloom's Taxonomy image taken from: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

Buchem, I, & Hamelmann, H. (2010). Microlearning: a strategy for ongoing professional development.

CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org