Microlearning: Engaging learning experiences made easy

Reviewed by Erin Weldon, Director of Instructional Design and Development, Trine University on 8/15/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text does an excellent job covering the topic of reducing cognitive overload when delivering content to learners. The text provides practical design strategies to ensure students do not feel cognitive overload and instead, increase retention of topics and engagement. It highlights the importance of making lessons interesting and relatable by linking new information to learners' existing knowledge and interests. There is a heavy emphasis on learner-content interaction and how educators can design content for students to engage and interact with the educational materials.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content is accurate and supported by references from educational professionals. The addition of statistical data would further strengthen the claims. However, some statements generalize the desires of all learners, speaking for them as a whole. While the author may draw conclusions from their own perspective or the perspectives of others, these generalizations may not reflect the diverse needs and wants of every learner. One of this textbook's greatest strengths is its emphasis on purpose and value in the content being delivered. It encourages educators to present information with a clear purpose, which helps learners meet the course objectives.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This textbook makes it clear that microlearning must be relevant to our learners. It focuses on employability and how to incorporate it into course design. As educators, we must be creative to make our students marketable after graduation, and this book emphasizes developing graduate attributes, or transferable skills. The importance of designing career-focused and industry-related curricula is a key topic, which is especially relevant today. A case study is included in this text to provide context of the impact of employability in educational curriculums. The last chapter takes a bit of a turn and moves to a focus of learner support and the relevancy of providing a welcoming and supportive environment for students. The content throughout the text are strategies that not only have been used for decades but provide educators with fresh ideas that will not go obsolete. The types of strategies provided straightforward and accessible ways to implement microlearning in online courses.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is written for educators and describes strategies in a simple, microlearning perspective focused on “less is more.” A glossary is provided at the end of the textbook for those who may be unfamiliar with educational jargon or technical terminology, including theories such as social constructivist theory. A majority of the text is accessible for all readers, even with little background in the education field.

Consistency rating: 5

The text contains 5 chapters focused on microlearning, reducing and reviewing content, producing microlearning delivery, learning designs and delivery, and learning supports. Each chapter builds upon the next, concluding with strategies to support learner success, including feedback tools. The constructivist learning theory is presented in a relatability framework focused on relevancy and learner centered design, consistent with educational terms and practices.

Modularity rating: 4

To enhance accessibility, the long chapters could be further broken down into smaller sections, which would make the text less daunting for readers. The addition of interactive H5P features within these subchapters would also further support reader engagement. As educators, it is important to consider how we can reduce cognitive overload for our fellow professionals when creating and sharing educational resources. The resources in this text are excellent and I do plan to use this textbook in faculty training courses; however, I would consider adapting this book or pieces of this book into smaller reading sections.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The textbook is organized well and presents the topics in a logical and clear fashion. The final chapter is strong enough to serve as a foundation for a separate, more detailed Open Educational Resource (OER) book, which could focus on learner support and effective micro-instructor feedback.

Interface rating: 4

Overall, the text is highly accessible for most readers. To further enhance the user experience, consider improving the quality of the images in Chapter 3, as some appear blurry. Additionally, it would be beneficial to add alt-text to the frameworks presented in Chapter 4 to ensure they are accessible to all readers, including those who use screen readers. Lastly, there is italicized text throughout the book. It might be beneficial to avoid italics if they convey meaning as some technologies like screen readers do not announce changes in formatting like italics.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors!

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

All text is inclusive and does not contain insensitive information. There is an emphasis on student support and how we can provide a welcoming environment for all learners.

This textbook serves as a practical guide for educators and effectively presents the benefits of microlearning by focusing on the core principle, “less is more.” The strategies presented in this book provide educators with an accessible and easy way to implement strategies to overcome challenges like cognitive overload and student disengagement. I encourage all educators to read this textbook and share it with your fellow colleagues!

Reviewed by Chris Roman, Associate Professor, Butler University on 7/11/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book thoroughly covers microlearning principles from content reduction through delivery, student engagement, and assessment. It provides practical implementation strategies that could be adapted for virtually any level of education.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content demonstrates sound pedagogical principles backed by appropriate research citations and aligns with established cognitive load theory and educational best practices.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The text is light on AI implementation, which as of this writing (2025) feels a bit limiting. With that said, the landscape around this is changing rapidly and so would likely be quickly outdated regardless of what the author included.

Clarity rating: 4

The writing is generally clear and accessible, though some sections become dense with educational jargon that might challenge readers new to instructional design concepts.

Consistency rating: 5

The book maintains excellent consistency in terminology, formatting, and approach throughout all chapters, with clear connections between concepts.

Modularity rating: 5

Each chapter stands well alone and could be easily referenced independently, making it highly practical for faculty implementing specific microlearning strategies.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The logical progression from theory through implementation works well, though the abundance of video examples and embedded media (while useful!) occasionally disrupts the reading flow.

Interface rating: 5

The book is full of useful links to videos and other resources to illustrate the strategies described.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The text is well-edited with minimal errors, though occasional awkward phrasing slightly detracts from the overall polish.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Discusses Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a strategies to ensure the needs of all learners are met.