Journal of Medical Education and Development

Outcomes of the Use of Microlearning in Medical Education: A Review Study

Farsi Z — 2025-03-16

Introduction: Effective learning results from correct education in an appropriate setting and through creative, inclusive, encouraging methods. This study aimed to investigate the new active approach of microlearning and the consequences of its use in medical education.

Method: This narrative review was compiled by searching Persian and English Iranian and international scientific databases, including SID, Magiran, PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus, and the Google Scholar search engine, using keywords such as “education,” “learning,” “ microlearning,” “student,” and “medical education,” from 2015 to 2024. The articles selection process was based on the PRISMA diagram, and the quality of the selected articles was assessed using the STROBE and CASP tools. After removing duplicate articles, the titles and abstracts of the remaining articles were reviewed, and unrelated articles were removed. Then, the full text of the 16 articles was reviewed.

Results: The study included 16 articles in total. Microlearning facilitates the teaching-learning process in learners due to its ease of access, flexibility, promotion of active learning, time-saving, and high productivity. Microlearning in medical education can improve learner knowledge acquisition and retention, skills and performance, participation, interest, teamwork, motivation, self-confidence, and satisfaction.

Conclusion: Using the microlearning method in the curriculum of medical sciences students can lead to the improvement of knowledge and skills, change the attitudes of learners, and improve the process of treatment and care for patients.

The Needs of New Nursing Students to Become Professionals; Explaining the Experiences of Students and Graduates

Heydari S — 2025-03-16

Introduction: New nursing students have diverse educational needs that must be recognized and met to transition to professionalization. This study examined the experiences of graduates and fourth-year nursing students to identify these needs to help educational authorities facilitate students' path to professionalization.

Method: This study was conducted in 2024 at the Shahid Sadoughi School of Nursing and Midwifery in Yazd using qualitative content analysis. Data were collected via purposive sampling through a focus group discussion session and 15 semi-structured interviews with 29 nursing students and graduates. Data analysis was performed based on the Granham and Landman method, and its validity was confirmed with the Guba and Lincoln criteria.

Results: The data analysis resulted in 458 primary codes, 84 main codes, eight subthemes, and three themes. The main themes and subthemes of the qualitative analysis included learning roadmap (educational configuration, academic self-efficacy), professional competence (professional commitment and values, professional system, socialization process), and personal development (self-directed learning, interpersonal skills, preparation for future professional path).

Conclusion: The results of this study emphasize the need for a comprehensive and integrated approach to nursing education. The findings indicate that to facilitate professionalization, in addition to academic skills, personal and professional development should also be considered. These results can help educational program designers understand students' needs and design programs that better prepare them for professional roles. The implementation of these programs may enhance the quality of nursing services and community health.

Instructional design of the Micro-learning framework in educational programs: A scoping review study

Keshmiri F — 2025-03-16

Introduction: This study aimed to review the instructional design principles and learning flow frameworks that underpin the microlearning approach. The study aimed to identify the key principles that should guide the design of content and instructional flow in the microlearning framework.

Method: The present study is a scoping review. A comprehensive search was performed using relevant keywords, including "microlearning," "instructional design," "micro-content," and "learning flow," in the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases, without any time restrictions. The inclusion criteria were studies discussing principles for designing and implementing microlearning approach.

Results: The literature review revealed that two distinct frameworks are essential for designing effective microlearning content: "microlearning content design" and "microlearning flow design." Microlearning content design focuses on educational materials development, whereas microlearning flow design centers on the organization of learning content to facilitate optimal learning outcomes.

Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that microlearning content design should incorporate interactive content, chunked courses with a single learning objective, and concise time frames. Furthermore, the learning flow principle should be guided by a social-supportive structure, varied media formats and immediate feedback. Moreover, the use of cognitive load theory strategies, and multimedia learning principles to create an effectual microlearning framework for faculty development suggest.

A systematic Study of the Philosophical-Social Foundations of the Electronic Curriculum in the Context of Medical Education

Sharifi Rahnemo S — 2025-03-16

Introduction: Solid foundations are essential to successfully implementing a curriculum, and e-curriculums are no exception. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the socio-philosophical foundations of e-curriculums in medical education.

Method: The present study was a systematic review. The scope of the research included studies from 2014 to 2024. A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases to identify studies, and internal data search engines such as Normags, Magiran, Civica, foreign IJET, Google Scholar, Eric, Scopus, Science Direct, and 28 related studies were analyzed. Descriptive, interpretive, theoretical, and practical validity were used to control the quality of the extracted codes. Finally, the data were analyzed using content analysis.

Results: The findings showed that 81 open philosophical social epistemological concepts supporting the electronic curriculum were used, which can be divided into six epistemological bases of realism, existentialism, relativism, relationalism, ontology, and pragmatism based on the type of epistemological perspective. Finally, based on the selective coding process, the counted concepts were classified into three main categories: positivism, interpretive and interpretive, and critical and emancipatory.

Conclusion: In the process of education from the modernist to postmodernist era, the positivist approach has always been needed as a helper to the critical epistemological perspective and cannot be definitively ignored. Therefore, it is suggested that the medical curriculum planners use the characteristics of these elements along with the deprecating approach to design an electronic curriculum.

Ethical Challenges of Applying Advanced Technologies in Medical Education: A Scoping Review

Hosaini SK — 2025-03-16

Introduction: The integration of advanced technologies into the medical education system, while bringing extensive achievements and advancements, has also introduced significant challenges, including vital ethical issues. Therefore, the present study was conducted to review the ethical challenges of modern technologies in medical education.

Method: This study is a scoping review conducted in five stages based on the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The strategy follows a five-step framework: identifying the research question, identifying relevant studies, screening and selecting studies, extracting and processing data, and summarizing and reporting results. Data was collected from three databases: Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed on November 25, 2024, without any time or language restrictions.

Results: The study included 35 articles out of 829 found in the initial search. The results showed that the most important common ethical challenges in modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, simulators, big data, information technology, and digital social media included privacy protection, bias, and lack of accountability. In 3D printing technology, ethical challenges also included reduced human interaction and violation of intellectual property rights.

Conclusion: The future of medical education depends on finding an intelligent balance between the use of technology and the preservation of human values. Implementing clear laws and regulations, designing and implementing practical ethical frameworks, teaching ethics-oriented technology skills to students, and continuously monitoring outcomes can pave the way for responsible, fair, and ethical use of modern technologies in medical education.

Explaining the Reasons for the Extension of Students' Study Duration and Providing Strategies to Improve the Current Situation from the Perspective of Post- Graduated Students at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (Qualitative Study)

Gholamzadeh Nikjoo R — 2025-03-16

Introduction: Study duration refers to the specific period a student must complete their education. This study aims to elucidate the factors contributing to the prolonged study duration among students of the Faculty of Management and Medical Informatics at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and to provide effectual strategies for reducing this duration.

Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a content analysis approach. The research population included all eligible graduate students (those with extended study duration) from the Faculty of Management and Medical Information in 2021 and 2022. A total of 48 students were selected using a census method. Data collection was conducted using three different tools: interviews, document reviews, and analysis of students' extension requests. Content analysis was employed to analyze the data.

Results: The interview findings indicated two categories of influential factors: personal issues and university-related factors. Personal issues included employment, family problems, the overlap of studies with the COVID-19 pandemic, the distance between the university and residence, internet limitations, time gaps between undergraduate and graduate studies, and prolonged data collection. University-related factors included a lack of cooperation from professors, delays in proposal approval, strict research regulations concerning articles, and professors' rigorous demands during the thesis defense process.

Conclusion: Reducing the stages of thesis approval at the university level, initiating the thesis process during the initial semesters of study, and enhancing scientific capabilities regarding thesis writing during the study period are among the strategies to improve the current situation of students' study duration.

Providing Feedback from Experiences in Conducting Clinical Competency Exam for the General Dentistry Courses

Shahraki M — 2025-03-16

The Article Abstract is not available.

A New Approach to Medical Education, Using Artificial Intelligence in Medical Grand Rounds

Abdollahi R — 2025-03-16

The Article Abstract is not available

Smartization: A fundamental transformation in nursing education

Dehghani F — 2025-03-16

The Article Abstract is not available