Effect of Faculty Development Program of Clinical Education Based on the Micro-learning Approach on the Learning of Clinical Teachers

The present study aimed to assess the effect of micro-learning training in the faculty development program of clinical education on the learning of clinical teachers compared to the classic virtual training method.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd City, Iran. The study was carried out in two phases: designing an educational program based on the micro-learning approach entitled “Effective Clinical Education Techniques” and then implementing and evaluating the program. The objective of the training was to develop faculty members’ teaching skills in the clinical education process. The electronic micro-learning content was developed in the first phase, which included design, production, implementation, and evaluation. In the second phase, an asynchronous virtual empowerment program was implemented. The clinical teachers in the control group used the training program in an asynchronous virtual format through classic electronic content (video-recorded). During the study, the participants’ satisfaction and learning were evaluated. Satisfaction was assessed with a 9-item questionnaire. The participants’ learning was assessed using scenario-based questions (modified assay) (10 questions). The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and analytical statistics (student t test).

In this study, 73 clinical teachers participated in the intervention group (n=35) and the control group (n=38). The results showed a significant difference between the learning scores of the participants in the intervention and the control groups (P=0.0001). The results showed that learners’ satisfaction in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the control group (P=0.009).

The results showed that faculty development using a micro-learning approach improved the learning and satisfaction of clinical teachers. It is suggested that micro-learning principles be used in empowerment programs at medical science universities.