Inova’s 20,000+ team members provide more than 2,000,000 patient visits each year through an integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services, and destination institutes.We’ve witnessed the transformative power of microlearning in our talent development programs. Recently, we pivoted to using 7taps to create dynamic microlearning experiences, making our educational programs more learner-centered, accessible, and inclusive.
"Providing key learning solutions and experiences ‘just in time’ in small chunks… has been very successful in improving learner engagement, focusing on specific action-oriented solutions and promoting self-determined learning.”
Watch Arpita’s interview about designing microlearning for talent, performance, and leadership development at Inova Health System, presented at MicrolearningCONF.
Our journey with microlearning started with the realization that our healthcare workers, given their high-stress jobs and the risk of burnout, needed a more efficient learning solution. Microlearning, with its bite-sized, just-in-time approach, proved to be the perfect fit, enhancing learner engagement and focusing on actionable solutions.
Tips to design microlearning for leadership development
1. Create learner personas
The first step is understanding your learners’ needs, motivations, and challenges. By creating detailed learner personas, we were able to tailor our programs to be more relevant and impactful for our healthcare workers. This foundational step ensures that every piece of content addresses real-world issues for our learners.
2. Incorporate storytelling and visuals
Effective microlearning leverages storytelling and visuals to make the content more engaging. In our “Leadership Moments” program, for example, we used 10-minute modules to deliver 4 key leadership tips. These short, focused sessions were dispersed at regular intervals, allowing our leaders to practice actionable steps with their teams. The success of this program, which was even featured in Forbes, showcases the impact of microlearning on leadership development.
3. Utilize tools like Generative AI
Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, can be a game-changer in creating microlearning content. For instance, we used ChatGPT to generate ideas for our performance review modules. While AI can speed up the ideation and initial content creation process, it’s essential to validate the content with subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and relevance.
“You are the learning expert who can make the experience more human-centered. So use your expertise to make the design more human-centered, and use Gen AI or other AI tools to generate ideas and speed up production time.”
Results of the leadership development program
The results speak for themselves. Our "Leadership Moments" program was a huge success, even garnering recognition in Forbes. We saw close to 90% of our team members finding the microlearning content helpful, which significantly improved timely performance check-ins.
Microlearning in Action at Inova: Everyday applications
Our team members benefit from mobile, "on-the-go" learning tools. We want to push just-in-time learning to leaders and team members who work in our hospital system. 7taps allows us to create it quickly! We can choose for learners to pull the content with a QR code or push it with SMS.
1. Additional training resources
To support nurses, we piloted an evidence-based practice project in 5 hospitals. It consisted of 12 modules delivered weekly. The modules were independent clinical cases - scenarios written by practicing nurses. It contained data about the patient, a chart review, relevant questions, and additional information. A case could be solved in minutes - on mobile or desktop.
We kept training materials short and engaging by providing the data with AI-generated or custom videos and assessing the knowledge with quizzes right after. Participation in training was voluntary, with modules delivered via text or email.
We placed QR codes with information about the training in different units. Some sign-ups were brought by word of mouth - nurses socialized and shared the microlearning initiative with colleagues.
Over 100 nurses participated over 12 weeks, with novice nurses benefiting the most.
2. Job Aids
To support our team members during our new HRIS software implementation, we used 7taps to create a job aid about how to set up a direct deposit and began sharing it with newcomers via a QR code during orientation sessions. It helps new team members each week.
We create similar 7taps “pocket guides” with leadership training and communications. They are easily accessible (especially with QR codes placed on site) and are unique to any other software used in healthcare. There’s no need to allocate time for logging into any complicated platform from your work laptop, you can just open a 7taps on your mobile.
“When people saw it for the first time the response was “Wow, we’re in the future”.
3. Materials for learning events
We used 7taps to create Virtual platform breakout room discussion questions for instructor-led Leadership courses. This is super useful because once students join a breakout group, they can’t see the questions on the presentation unless I type them in the chat. 7taps is so much more engaging!
Also, QR codes with key takeaways are placed on Leadership Guide documents distributed during our Leadership Forum, enriching the learning experience.
Microlearning has proven to reduce mental fatigue, accommodate busy schedules, and personalize the learning experience, making it a robust tool for talent development in healthcare.
Ready to Transform Your Learning Programs?
Microlearning can revolutionize your approach to leadership training and development. By integrating 7taps into your learning strategy, you can create engaging, efficient, and impactful learning experiences tailored to your team's needs.
Sign up for 7taps and start designing microlearning courses that drive real results.
💡More microlearning ideas for healthcare training
- Deliver mental health training in stressful environments
- Enhance leadership development programs with microlearning
- Onboard frontline employees on the go
- Provide materials for continuing medical education outside of LMS
