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Insurance CE and “Micro Learning”

Insurance continuing education (CE) is severely hampered by the slow pace of regulatory change! But this is not the only CE truth:

CE is here to stay. Regardless your opinion of CE - like it, dislike it, think it has accomplished its original goal, or think it has failed miserably - CE is not going away. Departments of Insurance make too much money from CE-generated fees to willingly repeal the requirement.
Most Departments of Insurance (DOIs) lack creativity or are unwilling to look at creative options to the current CE system.

We could end this article now and no one could offer a strong argument against the truth of these statements. But it would be bad form to not take time to explore at least one option that could bring CE into the 21^st century.

Because we are “stuck" with CE, and because DOIs are “stuck in their ways," our industry must push hard to affect the changes needed to improve the industry's education system. Ideas are needed to get CE “unstuck."

One innovative and technologically-available option is micro-learning, some call it “nano-learning." Effective micro-learning is:

Delivered in five to 15-minute long sessions.
Targeted, generally covering a single topic.
Viewable on a range of devices.
Best when many types of media including text, video and audio are used.
Most effective when available on-demand.
“Testable." The student should be tested for comprehension.

Micro-learning allows the learner's brain to focus on a specific topic and, in the short time required, cement the information firmly in the mind for quick recall. Micro-learning is manageable by our brains. When a student focuses on one topic for a short amount of time, and tests for mastery immediately afterwards, the ability to recall and apply the information improves. Research “proves" it:

Micro-learning is 17 percent more efficient according to the Journal of Applied Psychology.
Researchers at the Dresden University of Technology in Germany reported that micro-learning improves retention by 20 percent.
A survey of learning and development professionals showed that 94 percent preferred micro-learning because their learners preferred it.
A report by Software Advice shows that micro-learning creates 50 percent more engagement.
A study by the University of California-Irvine found that learning in spans of 3 to 7 minutes matches the working memory capacity and attention spans of humans.
Microlearning courses can be created in 300 percent less time and at 50 percent of the cost of other types of learning.

Where micro-learning is like getting a refreshing drink at a water fountain, traditional CE is like drinking from a firehose. Sitting in a classroom or in front of a computer for two, three, six or even eight hours rarely results in the ability to remember much of the information heard longer than the time it takes to drive home after class.

Hermann Ebbinghaus postulated over 130 years ago in 1885 that 67 percent of learning is forgotten within 24 hours. Although the depth of his research is questionable (he was his only test subject), the truth of his postulation has been proven over time – man cannot effectively absorb and retain large amounts of information forced on him in one sitting.

Another theory around this inability to retain material is that attention spans are shrinking. Although I'm not a psychologist, sociologists, or any other “-ologist," appearances are that technology and smart phone apps (like Twitter, Instagram, etc.) have negatively impacted attention spans. Google “attention span" and a myriad of articles factually stating that attention spans have gotten shorter populate the results. However, there are a few articles that effectively debunk the attention span myth. And I happen to agree it is a myth.

In reality, attention spans haven't gotten shorter, modern man just has more things designed to capture his attention. Phones ring, ding, vibrate and do everything to divert attention. When sitting at your desk you can't help but be sucked in by the email that popped up even while you were reading this article. Our brains are constantly under siege. “Look at me," “I'm more important than what you are doing," “Hey, buddy – I need your attention."

Man's problem is not our attention span, man's problem is a lack of opportunity to focus on one thing long enough to retain the information presented. Enter the NEED for micro-learning. Yes, I said need. The insurance industry needs micro-learning if we ever hope to enjoy a significant increase in coverage knowledge.

Only small bites of information can break through the “noise" invading our daily lives and capture our mind long enough for the material to ingrain itself in our mind. Micro-learning is our best hope for improved learning with better results. About this there is no doubt.

But we have one major hurdle - regulators. DOIs won't like this idea because it's not “traditional" learning (you know, the firehose approach). Further, DOIs don't know how to:

Evaluate micro-learning;
Monitor micro-learning;
Prove the effectiveness of micro-learning;
Grant CE credits; or
Charge for micro-learning.

These are easily-answered objections:

DOIs could evaluate multiple parts of the micro-learning just like a traditional class. Eight 15-minute segments could be evaluated as a two-hour class with the understanding that each segment is taught separately using any media available. This same principle could be applied to any number of sessions totaling any number of hours.
Monitoring micro-learning sessions is easy; in fact, it's easier and less expensive than monitoring traditional sessions. The DOIs could access the sessions and have the ability to take them anytime they want. This would allow them to monitor what is being taught. Who knows, they might even learn something.
Proving the effectiveness of micro-learning is the easiest objection to overcome. Testing is a key tenet of micro-learning. Before moving to the next lesson, the learner must successfully pass a short test on the material just presented. This is more than is required when just “sitting through" a six-hour class where nothing is required to prove the student learned anything before credit is given.
Granting CE credits might be the most difficult issue to address. Providing credits in “partial" hours could prove messy and problematic. Missing the annual or biennial requirement by a quarter hour because the math was done incorrectly would result in more problems than micro-learning solves. The best way to solve this problem is to require only full hours be filed by the producing body. The work falls on the content producer to file whole hours rather than partial hours. Space does not permit exploring all the details necessary to overcome this hurdle.
As stated at the beginning of this article, CE is here to stay because of the revenue it generates for DOIs; so, getting paid is a big concern for the departments. Solving this perceived issue is as easy as solving the evaluation problem. Since the DOI is evaluating the sessions in terms of hours rather than parts of hours, the DOI should charge the same as it would for any other one, two, three, four, six or eight hour class – just understanding that the training is presented in short, micro-learning segments.

Overall, DOIs should welcome the micro-learning option. Studies prove that micro-learning increases retention (especially given the testing requirement). Improved retention creates better agents and better agents take better care of their clients (the insurance-buying public). The ultimate goal of most DOIs is protecting consumers; ultimately, micro-learning protects the consumer better than traditional CE.

Departments of Insurance must change more rapidly and adopt micro-learning as an approved method of providing CE. Afterall, the staidest industry in the country has already adopted micro-learning as an approved continuing education method - the CPAs. In 2016, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) approved revisions to their standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs to include micro-learning. Why are the accountants ahead of the insurance industry?

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

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