Microlearning linked to knowledge gains in small uncontrolled nursing-student study

A four-part microlearning intervention was associated with higher knowledge scores among 35 final-year nursing students learning about psychiatric emergencies, according to a small, single-group quasi-experimental study at Alborz University of Medical Sciences. Students’ mean score on a scenario-based psychiatric-emergencies test increased from 12 ± 2.7 before the intervention to 14.34 ± 2.74 immediately afterward, a statistically significant change reported at p < 0.001. At a one-month follow-up, the mean remained above baseline at 13.57 ± 2.72.

The study used a pre-test/post-test design with a one-month follow-up and did not include a comparison group. The 35 final-year nursing students completed the scenario-based assessment before, immediately after and one month after the educational intervention. Researchers analyzed the repeated measurements with repeated-measures analysis of variance and paired t-tests. The reported averages indicate that measured knowledge remained higher than the pre-intervention level after one month, although the mean declined by 0.77 points between the immediate post-test and follow-up. Because the design lacked a control group, the findings cannot establish that microlearning alone produced the score improvements or show how the students would have performed with a different educational approach.

The intervention comprised four motion-graphic educational contents delivered through a Learning Management System and simultaneously through a Telegram messenger group. It followed Ebbinghaus’s repetition pattern. The researchers evaluated the program through both knowledge testing and an online learning-satisfaction questionnaire. Data collection occurred at three stages: before the intervention, immediately after it and one month later. The intervention and assessment were designed to examine whether students acquired knowledge of psychiatric emergencies and whether that knowledge was retained, while the questionnaire assessed their reported satisfaction with the learning experience.

Students reported acceptable satisfaction with the program. Their mean satisfaction score was 60.11 ± 9.45 out of 85. This result describes students’ evaluation of the learning experience rather than their competence in managing psychiatric emergencies, their performance in clinical practice or any effect on patient care. The study also found no significant association between demographic variables and the extent of knowledge improvement. That observed absence of an association should be interpreted within the study’s limited scope: it involved one group of 35 students, did not test demographic factors against a control condition and cannot establish that the extent of improvement is independent of student characteristics in other populations or educational settings.

Overall, the researchers interpreted the results as suggesting that microlearning may be a viable approach for improving knowledge and learning retention in psychiatric-emergencies education for nursing students. The evidence supports that cautious conclusion rather than a claim of established superiority over conventional teaching. It comes from one small uncontrolled study in final-year nursing students, with an immediate improvement in scenario-based test scores, a follow-up average that remained above baseline and acceptable reported satisfaction. The study does not establish whether the same results would occur in earlier stages of nursing education, among larger student groups or with educators using different content and delivery systems. Its contribution is instead a focused quasi-experimental signal that digitally delivered motion-graphic instruction, organized around four content units and repeated exposure, was followed by measurable gains in knowledge that were partly sustained after one month.

Subject of Research: Quasi-experimental evaluation of microlearning for psychiatric-emergencies education among final-year nursing students

Article Title: The effect of microlearning on nursing students’ knowledge and satisfaction in psychiatric emergencies education: a quasi-experimental study

Article References: Ahmadivash, Z., Tayebi, Z., Amiri, S., & Hajfiroozabadi, M. (2026). The effect of microlearning on nursing students’ knowledge and satisfaction in psychiatric emergencies education: a quasi-experimental study. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10359-8

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10359-8

Keywords: microlearning, nursing education, psychiatric emergencies, knowledge retention, student satisfaction, digital learning, spaced repetition, Telegram, quasi-experimental study, effect, nursing, students