What is Microlearning and How Can It Benefit Students?

In 2000, the average human attention span was 12 seconds. Twenty-five years later, and that number has dropped to 8.5 seconds. Three and a half seconds may not seem like a lot, however, educators are feeling the loss.

An international study on youth and social media found a connection between focus and screen time. The majority (68%) of youth participants reported difficulty focusing, while many “described struggling to complete schoolwork or engage with content lasting more than a minute.”

Results from an October 2025 study support findings that screen use has affected student attention spans and, ultimately, learning outcomes. One meta-analysis examined the association between screen time and concentration across ages two through 22. Results show children who use screens for two or more hours per day are at a 51% higher risk of developing concentration difficulties.

New strategies have emerged to address this concentration crisis, including support for the 10-to-15 minute lecture. The thinking behind these micro-lectures is to create efficiencies so attention is leveraged during peak moments. In the K-12 space, teachers are seeing strong results by implementing microlearning. The concept is in line with the 10-to-15 minute lecture strategy, where engaging learning opportunities are presented in short spans, leaving little room for the brain to wander.

A relatively recent concept in the education space, microlearning can also go by ‘bite-sized learning’ and ‘snippet learning.’ Regardless of the name, implementing the strategy into a classroom setting can improve learning outcomes. Read on to learn more.
 

What is microlearning?

Microlearning takes a well-defined, action-oriented learning objective that is focused on application and contains the entire experience in one short burst. Simple examples educators can employ include two-to-three-minute videos, digital flashcards and quizzes with no more than five questions. The simplicity keeps learners from becoming overwhelmed by excessive information, presenting an opportunity to better absorb the lesson.

According to research, the “potential for microlearning to improve cognitive, behavioural, and affective learning outcomes suggests that it can be a valuable approach to learning. It can be used for improving learners’ specific cognitive outcomes (e.g., knowledge), behavioural outcomes (e.g., engagement), and affective outcomes (e.g., motivation).”

For those new to microlearning, the Cautiously Optimistic Teacher is a website with teaching resources and trend updates that succinctly outlines microlearning objectives for educators to follow:

• Brevity with purpose
  • Two-to-10 minutes, but only as long as needed.
• One clear objective
  • Define the specific action that signals success.
• Self‑contained content
  • Include only essentials; make it easy to revisit.
• Purposeful media
  • Concise text, supportive visuals/audio, light interactivity.
• Mobile, on‑demand access
  • Useful in the flow of class or work.
• Practice by design
  • Quick checks or micro‑sims when helpful—don’t force quizzes.
• Spaced sequencing
  • Plan short refreshers to reinforce retention.

The website also outlines common pitfalls and the best ways to avoid them when practicing microlearning:

• No objective
  • Write one measurable action.
• Fragmenting complex topics
  • Teach deeply first; use micro for reinforcement.
• Hidden/optional assets
  • Deliver in the flow; secure leader buy‑in.
• No spacing plan
  • Schedule 48‑hour and one‑week refreshers.
• Accessibility ignored
  • Add captions, alt text and readable contrast.

Now that microlearning is defined, let’s dig deeper on how to best utilize it with students.

When to engage in microlearning

Microlearning’s success also depends on the time of day, according to experts. In an interview with the American Psychological Association, psychologist Dr. Gloria Mack shares that humans have peak focus times.

“We find that when people are engaged and challenged, there seems to be rhythms in the day when this happens,’ Dr. Mack said. “And people seem to have peaks of times when they do this. We call this focused attention, tends to be late morning and again mid to late afternoon, about two to three.”

Also necessary to microlearning success? Leaving room for resting and rejuvenating the brain. Dr. Mack stresses the importance of breaks to help strengthen attention and overall capacity for learning.

“It's so important that we take breaks because if you work until you get exhausted, then of course you can get burnout. It's so important to take breaks and replenish. And by taking breaks, we have more energy, we have more attentional capacity, and we can actually do more.”

She also acknowledges there is strategy behind taking these breaks, and to always identify a ‘break point’ when engaging in tasks.

“If you interrupt yourself in the middle of doing something as opposed to a natural stopping point, you use up a lot more mental resources and it's also more stressful.”

Knowing when the brain is at peak focus potential only enhances microlearning’s benefits, giving students stronger outcomes.
 

Microlearning resources

Guide a microlearning journey with these sites that further inform the concept and provide resources to implement across subjects.

Alludo
Educators who need help adapting their lessons into microlearning sessions can use this platform for assistance.

ClassPoint
This article compiles seven free microlearning apps that teachers of all subjects can utilize with their students.

eLearning Industry
Browse 17 resources that further explain microlearning and its benefits, plus tools, articles and meetups.

Generation Genius
This platform provides engaging videos at lengths that are perfect for microlearning.

Pearson
This article lists a handful of apps that support educators looking to incorporate microlearning practices into the classroom.

PraxisExam.org
This robust blog explains the concept of microlearning, plus lists examples for teachers and platforms for students.

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