Faculty perceptions of microlearning in health professions education: a mixed method analysis of implementation factors.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to explore the preparedness of faculty in health professions education at three Malaysian universities by assessing their perceptions of basic concepts in microlearning as well as factors affecting effective content construction and digital format preferences.

Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-method approach was used to systematically analyse faculty perceptions by integrating quantitative and qualitative findings. A total of 121 faculty members voluntarily completed the online survey. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted with 20 selected staff members, followed by a thematic analysis. Descriptive and analytical statistics, including Pearson's chi-square test, were used to analyse the data.

Results: The survey revealed that 95.9% (n=116) of faculty members agreed that microlearning is ideal for the acquisition of microcontent with single learning outcomes. The optimal duration should be between 3 and 5 minutes. Strong associations [χ²(16, N=121) =33.17, p=0.007] between time duration and content size and content size and form of knowledge [χ²(16, N=121) =28.79, p=0.025] were observed in chi-square goodness-of-fit test. Microcontent of a single learning outcome, chunking of content, cognitive load, and degree to which topic connects with the media used emerged as primary sub-themes. Challenges in adapting skills to construct engaging microlearning content were highlighted.

Conclusions: The study provides a microlearning framework for health professional educators to consider the complexity of content, its format, and integration with suitable digital tools. Future research should explore how combinations of microlearning and other instructional formats optimise learning outcomes.