Microlearning Project

What is it?

Microlearning is the practice of learning in small increments. The knowledge is often something that can be implemented immediately, whether it's useful for one's personal life, career, or hobbies.

Piktochart user interface showing possible projects and templates for infographics. Source: Piktochart.

Tools of the Trade: Piktochart

Before this course, I don't think I'd ever created an infographic. I'd done some graphic design for things like newsletters, newspapers, and magazines using computer programs like Microsoft Publisher or Adobe Pagemaker, but I'd never attempted an infographic. Many easy-to-use tools exist on the web for creating engaging, clean infographics.

The online tool I used for creating infographics was Piktochart. Piktochart is a free online platform for designing posters, presentations, reports, flyers, and, of course, infographics.

Piktochart was pretty intuitive and easy to use, partially due to the vast templates to choose from. By using the same template for all of my infographics, I was able to create a unified theme across various pages of my portfolio and have a starting place each time.

Reflections on the Learning Process

Several learning theories were used in exploring and using Piktochart, mostly without having to think about them in the moment. I did not use any tutorials---just inquiry and experiential learning through effective theories like:

Constructivism: Because of my previous experience with graphic design and graphic design programs, I had existing knowledge (schema) I built on as I explored the user interface and created decent infographics (in my own estimation, anyway). I had a set of skills unrelated to this particular tool, but I knew what I wanted my end product to look like---it was within my Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), but how to get there? Build my own scaffolding! This included trial and error, mostly, based on other programs I'd used in the past. The more I explored Piktochart, the more I was able to find complex tools I could include to improve my infographic.

Cognitivism: One part of my past experience that has shaped all future design projects is my role as managing editor and graphic designer for my college newspaper. There I learned the importance of a style guide, a way to bring consistency to design projects. That influenced the way I used this tool because I created a mental style guide for myself as I designed the graphics. I decided what fonts, colors, and graphics would make up the "style" carried across my designs. My experience with newspaper design, while not necessarily unique, informed how I learned and used Piktochart. This experience will likely inform future learning experiences, too---particularly in giving me confidence that I can learn a new tool at my age. That's certainly a helpful, positive experience to draw from.

Examples of infographics used in this portfolio. The style guide concept creates a unified look across projects. Similar fonts, layouts, and graphics help make a cohesive look for the portfolio.

Connectivism: I took advantage of a free technology tool recommended to me by the instructor of my massive open online course (MOOC). It doesn't get any more connectivist than that! Additionally, I solicited feedback not just from my online instructor, but from peers on the Internet. Whether they knew anything about the topics I related through my infographics was immaterial; what I needed was for them to say the information in the infographic was easy to read and understand and, therefore, learn from).

Andragogy: Finally, the tenets of andragogy made this microlearning possible. I was driven to learn Piktochart by the intrinsic desire to complete this course successfully, and I sought out the tools to make that happen. The tool I learned was immediately implemented to create meaningful educational graphics. These graphics are an example of an authentic assessment because a) I'm likely to create another infographic sometime in my life, and b) the process of learning to make the infographic was a formative experience in itself.

In conclusion, the microlearning I did to implement Piktochart was an immediately useful skill that also engaged multiple learning theories. I love that all this learning was happening right under my nose---it just felt like art class in the moment! Some of the best learning experiences are those we stumble onto when we weren't looking for learning experiences.

Resources

Tipton, S. (2020, May 27). Microlearning 101: Using a Little Learning to Grow Big Skills. Retrieved June 13, 2020, from https://www.ispringsolutions.com/blog/what-is-microlearning?utm_source=google

Morrison, S. (2020, January 30). Microlearning Essentials: The What and Why. Retrieved June 13, 2020, from https://news.elearninginside.com/microlearning-essentials/