What is nanolearning and why is it trending?

We live in a world of drastically reduced attention spans. We would rather get the news from Twitter and Facebook instead of news channels. Being entertained on TikTok and YouTube appeals more to us than watching an entire movie. This gave birth to the concept of bite sized learning or nanolearning. But it has never drawn so much attention as it is doing since classes went online during the lockdown.  

What is nanolearning? 
Nanolearning is a way to deliver condensed information in an engaging format. This information may be in any format, audio, video, written, flash cards, animation. Most ‘how to’ setup booklets are examples of nanolearning. Reading the Microsoft office set up manual is a daunting task. On the other hand, viewing a 2 minute YouTube video demonstrating a set-up or reading step by step instructions from a blog with screenshots make the task easier. The rules for making successful nanolearning modules are simple: educators will need to get to the point, or become irrelevant. According to a study conducted by the Dresden University of Technology in 2020, short content results in over 20% more information retention than long-form content.  

But why is nanolearning trending now? 
Online interactive learning and hybrid learning (a mix of online and in-person) are the two major modes of education since the lockdown. Both formats require educators to deliver short, concrete capsules of learning, using any means to make the pupil remember it. This does not mean that lengthy training modules with in-depth explanations would phase out. On the contrary, they would be welcomed by those who want to dive deep. For example, a fifth standard child may pick up basic concepts of coding via nanolearning modules. But if he is really interested, he will take up a longer, in-depth course on Python as his chosen computer programming language. Another growth driver for nanolearning is the current emphasis on skill-based knowledge. Upskilling modules adapt to the short but attractive nanolearning format easily since it’s all about step by step progression. So, nanolearning is a trend that may continue even after life returns to normal.