The modern learner has only 24 minutes a week to dedicate to training and corporate education, corresponding to just 1% of a typical workweek. According to a study by Deloitte, today’s workers are overwhelmed and unwilling to spend too much time in a face-to-face or virtual course.

Moreover, according to this research, students are typically distracted and impatient, wanting to access content the moment they need it. With the capabilities offered by technology today, where smartphones have evolved to the point where they can do virtually the same as a computer, patience has significantly decreased. For instance, a slow-loading website can cause a visitor to abandon it and move on to another.

Faced with this trend, organizations have also had to adapt and redesign their learning strategies, increasingly turning to microlearning. Microlearning modules with an average duration of 3 to 5 minutes help organizations ensure that learners are engaged with learning topics. The shorter duration of the modules keeps learners’ patience in check.

Philip Guo, an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Rochester, examined online learning statistics and found that the duration of learning content should be less than 9 minutes to ensure learner attention. Ideally, microlearning modules should include videos, animations, PDF files, interactive infographics, and microgames with shorter durations to attract students and allow them to learn in the 24 minutes they dedicate to it each week.