Abstract

Microlearning, a method of providing short, focused, stand-alone information, is trending in professional discussions of workplace training. It is suggested to support training transfer, but empirical evidence of its application and effectiveness is lacking. A mixed-method single case study was designed to answer the question: How do professionals in the early training transfer period following a workshop on a non-routine complex skillset, engage with a microlearning follow-up initiative, where microlearning is provided either as a timed push or by a voluntarily accessed repository? Microlearning was provided after a workshop, either once per week (timed push), or all at once (repository access). Over eight weeks, eight nurses at a tertiary-care hospital participated in various aspects of the data collection through surveys, usage reports and interviews on microlearning use, individual, environmental and design factors. Nurses demonstrated strong engagement with the microlearning regardless of demographics or transfer opportunities. They used microlearning predominantly at work, in a moderately-weak transfer climate. Nurses receiving timed access reported greater ease finding time to use the microlearning than nurses with repository access who tended to use the microlearning all at once. They identified the microlearning duration and its interactive and targeted design as helpful features that prompted recall, active processing and non-formal learning. Nurses’ intent to transfer learning was strong both at the time of the workshop and at the end of the study but fluctuated in between, demonstrating a dynamic transfer process. This microlearning initiative demonstrates potential for support of complex, intermittent skillsets in healthcare professional development.