Last Updated 1 year by Lukas
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back to school? Maybe you loved it, maybe not. Our lives are full of opportunities and challenges. The only way to respond to life is to be responsible. We humans have a tremendous ability to learn from our mistakes and grow. In the course of our days we may be promoted to manager, become parents, face difficult situations. And the only way to increase our resilience is to keep learning and growing. Often, when we’re ready to start and we see the goal as a whole, we can feel overwhelmed by its sheer size. But what if we could do it in bite-sized chunks?
What is ahead of us?
- What is micro-learning and what to expect from it?
- Is there any MBA study provider using micro-learning?
- Sharing my own experience with going through studies at Edu Effective
What is micro-learning and what to expect from it?
It’s a form of learning based on consuming very small chunks of information at a time. Usually a lecture can be as short as 1 minute. The most common length of a lecture is around 10 minutes. This reduces potential resistance because it’s easy to find 5-10 minutes to learn something new.
According to the theory of Hermann Ebbinghause, who experimented with memory between 1880 and 1885. And later this study was replicated in 2015 with similar results. He created a concept called ‘forgetting curve’. Detailed description can be found here.
According to this concept, the retention of learned material is based on several variables. How difficult the material is (how relevant it is to the person), what type of learning strategy is used (all at once, small chunks, repetition, mnemonics, building on already known information). In general, if we learn information just once, we are very likely to forget most of it within a few days (the red line). However, if we use better learning techniques such as microlearning, mnemonic cues, building on known concepts and especially spatial repetition (reviewing material after some time). We can achieve high levels of retention (green lines).
This is exactly the aim of microlearning. It creates low resistance by offering very short lectures. It’s easy to go through them and it’s easy to revisit them after some time. Of course, if these lectures are also created with mnemonics (for example, translating numbers into pictures and creating a story from it. You can remember a lot of numbers this way) and build on existing, widely known concepts. They can make learning even more effective. It’s also important to use the information you learn, because there’s nothing better than learning through your own experience, coloured by the theory you’ve learned.
Is there any MBA study provider using micro-learning?
In the case of the Czech Republic, I’m aware of an international company (based in CZ, EU) called Edu Effective. Originally it was a company providing managers with MBA professional study programme. It was founded in 2007 and until 2020 when there was a global outbreak of the Corona virus. It offered MBA studies to all people in the Czech Republic who wanted to take their managerial skills to another level in order to better help others. In 2020, when life almost came to a standstill for many people, we were closed, isolated in our homes. It was a time of reflection and thinking about what to do next.
The company has been renamed to ‘Edu Effective’ and in the words of the company’s founder: “As I travelled around the world, I realised. Unavailability of quality education or very high cost is something that prevents people from participating in it. I’d like to change that and provide people with quality education at a fair price. Because more often than not, lack of accessible education prevents people from having a better life”.
This is how ‘Edu Effective’ and it’s vision came to life and till these days it is spreading the idea of enabling people to live better lives / helping others through high quality education. It created cost effective way how to study MBA internationally. The courses are delivered through LinkedIn Learning (owned by Microsoft), which alone guarantees their quality. As Microsoft can afford to hire the best people to share their knowledge.
Sharing my own experience of studying at Edu Effective
How it all began
In 2018 I was blessed with the opportunity to buy a house (more precisely, to order the construction of a house). According to the expected timeline for the completion of the house, I signed a contract to sell my flat. And thanks to outbreak of Covid-19, I was forced to sell my flat and return to my parents’ house until house building was finished. Every setback is an opportunity. I had a lot of time to read, work and spend time with my family.
One late night I found an article about Edu Effective (04/2020). It was just starting to offer MBA studies and I was expected to move into a management position later that year. Like any other employee of a large, international company and with some previous work experience. I experienced great, good and bad managers. As a result, I really lived the saying ‘people don’t leave companies, they leave managers’. The quality of the manager/leader and their desire to learn and improve in order to help others really matters a lot.
How does study at Edu Effective look like
If you have not yet been persuaded to start your studies and learn something new. Let me briefly describe what studying is like. First of all, there is the option of a demo account, so you can see how it feels before you make a full commitment (and pay any money). Although the studies are completely self-paced and online, there is a final graduation ceremony that takes place in person. Edu Effective tries to connect people, which in most cases is the biggest benefit. Because you can network and learn from others, and who knows what amazing things that can bring.
Ideally, there will be a 15-minute study block each day. Of course, you can skip a few days and catch up later. Because we all know that the ideal situation rarely presents itself every day. From time to time we get caught out by the unexpected and it’s nice that this online study is able to adapt. After about 30 days you will have completed a complete module (consisting of 30 daily blocks of 15 minutes each). Each module ends with a graded test, but do not worry because during the module there are practice tests that will prepare you for the final graded test. If you go through the practice test and do a quick review before the assessed test, it’s quite easy.
After each module you will be asked to write an action plan. This is to keep you focused and accountable for using the knowledge you have learned. When you have completed all 10 modules, which usually takes 10 months, you will take a final test (consisting of questions from all previous modules). There is also a final assessment of the action plan you have developed during your studies within all 10 modules. You’ll have two extra months to complete your studies, and if that’s not enough, you can extend your studies for another month or two for a small fee.
The student system offers an easy to understand interface. There are visible modules and blocks of days. You can even sign up for more than one course if you want. Discussions and calendars allow you to get in touch with your advisor or other students to share useful information, ask for help or just have a nice chat.
As mentioned above, all courses are delivered through the LinkedIn Learning platform. As far as I know, there are no restrictions on watching other videos. So if you are interested in going deeper into the topics, there is nothing stopping you from doing so.
You may be wondering why you don’t just pay for the LinkedIn Learning subscription. As far as I know, a standalone subscription to LinkedIn Learning for an individual is actually more expensive and you don’t get a recognised certificate of completion. This is possible because Edu Effective uses partnerships with other companies to keep the price as low as possible, while keeping the quality high and also offering some extra perks like ‘self-learning portal’, free books, opportunity to network with like-minded people. At least based on my evaluation, it was better to study through Edu Effective.
Is Edu Effective worth trying?
I’ve done the Edu Effective MBA and LL.M. and from my experience I can confirm that it’s definitely worth doing. Of course, not all the information you learn is applicable to your current situation. On the other hand, I use a lot of what I’ve learned in my day-to-day work. From looking after my direct reports, to coaching, mentoring or just making sure there is a clear vision that keeps people motivated, to regular one-to-one meetings. I’m also grateful for a deeper insight into GDPR, patent or copyright law, which is even more important in these amazing days when AI-powered tools are entering our everyday lives.
Of course, neither study is a silver bullet that will solve all your problems. It seems to me that our life is the master of creating endless changes and from time to time unexpected situations. The only way to respond to life is to be responsible. And to continue to learn, to grow and to help other people.