If you’re responsible for training, team development, or just getting people to actually finish short learning modules, this is for you. Centrical’s microlearning tools can be genuinely useful—but only if you know how to assign tasks that people will complete, and can check if they really do. Here’s a practical, hype-free guide to making Centrical work for you.
What is Centrical—and why bother with microlearning?
Centrical is a learning and engagement platform. In plain terms, it’s a web app for assigning, tracking, and encouraging employees to complete little training bursts—think quizzes, videos, or short modules, not hour-long snoozefests.
Microlearning is the idea that people actually remember short, focused lessons better than long ones. And honestly? That’s often true. But only if the content is good and the system fits into people’s real workday.
Step 1: Planning Your Microlearning Tasks
Before you even log in, get clear on what you’re assigning and why. Here’s what’s worth thinking about:
- Define your goal. What should people know or do after this? If you can’t answer, don’t assign it.
- Keep it short. If it takes more than 10 minutes, it’s not microlearning.
- Pick the right format.
- Quick video? Great for demos.
- Quiz? Good for compliance stuff.
- Scenario? Useful for sales or customer service.
Pro Tip: Don’t assign “busywork” modules just because you can. People can spot filler a mile away, and that’s how you lose buy-in.
Step 2: Setting Up Content in Centrical
Once you know what you want to assign, it’s time to get it into Centrical. Here’s how that process usually goes:
- Log in to your Centrical admin dashboard.
- Go to the Learning or Content Management section. (Names might differ depending on your setup.)
- Create new microlearning content if you haven’t already. You can usually upload:
- Videos (MP4, etc.)
- PDFs or slides
- Quizzes (multiple choice, true/false, etc.)
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Interactive scenarios
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Set up the basics:
- Title (make it clear, not cutesy)
- Description (what’s in it for the learner)
- Expected duration (keep it under 10 minutes)
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Tags or categories (so you can find it later)
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Test your content. Preview it as a learner. If it’s confusing or slow to load, fix it now.
What to skip: Don’t spend hours making the “perfect” module. It’s better to ship something useful and improve it later.
Step 3: Assigning Microlearning Tasks
Centrical lets you assign tasks to individuals, groups, or everyone. Here’s the straightforward way to do it:
- Choose your audience.
- Teams, departments, or custom groups
- Individual users (good for new hires)
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Whole company (use with caution—don’t spam everyone)
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Select the microlearning module(s) you want to assign.
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Set deadlines.
- Short deadlines work best—one week or less.
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If it’s not urgent, make it clear it’s optional. Otherwise, people will ignore it.
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Configure reminders.
- Automated reminders can help, but don’t overdo it. One or two is plenty.
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Avoid “reminder fatigue”—nobody wants five emails about a five-minute quiz.
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Personalize if you can.
- A quick note explaining why this matters can boost completion rates.
- “Hey team, this new module will help you handle tricky customer calls faster.”
Pro Tip: Assign microlearning right before it’s relevant. Example: New product module a week before launch, not two months ahead.
Step 4: Monitoring Progress (and What Actually Matters)
Assigning is the easy part. Monitoring is where most people get lost—or overwhelmed by dashboards.
What to Look For
- Completion rates: Obvious, but useful. Who actually finished?
- Scores or results: Did they just click through, or did they learn something?
- Time spent: If everyone finishes a “10-minute module” in 30 seconds, you’ve got a problem.
- Engagement trends: Are certain teams always lagging? Is a module being skipped across the board?
How to Monitor in Centrical
- Go to the Analytics or Reporting section.
- Filter by microlearning module, group, or date range.
- Export reports if you need to dig deeper or share with others.
What’s Worth Ignoring
- Leaderboard scores: Gamification can work, but don’t obsess. Focus on learning, not just badges.
- Completion for its own sake: If everyone “completes” but scores are terrible, time to rework your content.
Pro Tip: Follow up with a quick survey or ask for feedback. Sometimes low completion has nothing to do with motivation—it’s just a clunky module.
Step 5: Nudging, Not Nagging
Reminders are useful. Annoying people isn’t. Here’s how to walk the line:
- Send one clear reminder midway to deadline.
- Use a second, friendly nudge a day before it’s due.
- Skip guilt trips. “We noticed you haven’t completed…” is fine. “You’re letting the team down!” is not.
- Ask managers for help with persistent non-completers—sometimes a personal ask works better than any automated system.
Pro Tip: If a module is consistently ignored, ask why. Maybe it’s not relevant, not well-timed, or just not working.
Step 6: Reviewing and Iterating
Microlearning isn’t “set it and forget it.” The best admins treat it like a product—ship, learn, tweak. Here’s how:
- Check results after each assignment.
- Update or replace stale content. If people keep failing a quiz, rewrite it.
- Mix up formats. If videos aren’t working, try a scenario or interactive quiz.
- Solicit honest feedback. The best ideas for improvement usually come from the people taking the training.
Honest Takes: What Works, What Doesn’t
- Works:
- Short, relevant content tied to real work
- Assignments with a clear “why”
- Occasional, not constant, nudges
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Simple reporting dashboards
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Doesn’t work:
- Assigning everything to everyone “just in case”
- Over-gamifying—badges and points only go so far
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Long, boring modules disguised as microlearning
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Ignore:
- Completion rates as your only metric
- Fancy features you don’t need (unless you have time to experiment)
Keep It Simple—and Iterate
Centrical can be a solid tool for microlearning, but don’t let the platform drive your process. Start simple: assign something useful, watch what happens, and tweak as you go. The best microlearning isn’t about tech or buzzwords—it’s about helping people learn something they’ll actually use. Keep it short, keep it relevant, and don’t be afraid to ask what’s working (and what’s not). That’s how you get results—no hype required.