Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: Microlearning, the acquisition of knowledge or skills in the form of small units, is endorsed by health professions educators as a means of facilitating student learning, training, and continuing education, but it is difficult to define in terms of its features and outcomes. Objective: The goal of this review was to conduct a systematic search of the literature on microlearning in health professions education to identify key concepts, characterize microlearning as an educational strategy, and evaluate pedagogical outcomes experienced by health professions students. Methods: A scoping review was performed in 2018 using the bibliographic databases PubMed (MEDLINE), CINAHL, Education Resources Information Center, Embase, PsycINFO, Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson), and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. A combination of keywords and subject headings related to microlearning, e-learning, or just-in-time learning combined with health professions education were used. No date limits were placed on the search, but inclusion was limited to materials published in English. Pedagogical outcomes were evaluated on the basis of the four-level Kirkpatrick’s model. Results: A total of 3,096 references were retrieved, of which 17 articles were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Articles that met the criteria were published between 2011 and 2018, and their authors were from a range of countries including the United States, China, India, Australia, Canada, Iran, Netherlands, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. The 17 studies reviewed included various health-related disciplines, such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and allied health. While microlearning appeared in a variety of subject areas, different technologies, such as podcast, short messaging service, microblogging, and social networking service, were also used. Based on Buchem and Hamelmann’s 10 microlearning concepts, each study satisfied at least 40% of the characteristics while all studies featured concepts of maximum time spent less than 15 minutes as well as content aggregation. According to our assessment of each article using the Kirkpatrick's model, 16 (94%) assessed student reactions to the microlearning (level 1); 14 (82%) evaluated knowledge or skill acquisition (level 2); 5 (29%) measured the effect of the microlearning on student behavior (level 3), and no studies were found at the highest level. Conclusions: Microlearning as an educational strategy has demonstrated a positive effect on the knowledge and confidence of health professions students in performing procedures, retaining medication knowledge, studying, and engaging in collaborative learning. However, downsides to microlearning include pedagogical discomfort, technology inequalities, and privacy concerns. Future research should look at higher-level outcomes including benefits to patients or practice changes. The findings of this scoping review will inform education researchers, faculty, and academic administrators on the application of microlearning, pinpoint gaps in the literature, and help identify opportunities for instructional designers and subject matter experts to improve course content in didactic and clinical settings.

As health care continues to evolve and become increasingly complex, nursing education must also evolve to keep pace with the changing landscape

As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, particularly generative AI (Gen AI), becomes increasingly prevalent in nursing education, it is paramount to address the ethical implications of their implementation. This article explores the realm of cyberethics (a field of applied ethics that focuses on the ethical, legal, and social implications of cybertechnology), highlighting the ethical principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, and explicability as a roadmap for facilitating AI integration into nursing education. Research findings suggest that ethical dilemmas that challenge these five principles can emerge within the context of nursing education; however, adherence to these very principles, which is essential to improving patient care, can offer solutions to these dilemmas. To ensure the ethical and responsible use of Gen AI in nursing education, these principles must be woven into the fabric of curricula, and appropriate guidelines must be developed. Nurse educators have a pivotal role in strategizing comprehensive approaches for ethical AI integration, establishing clear guidelines, and instilling critical thinking among students. Fostering lifelong learning and adaptability is key to ensuring that future nurses can successfully navigate the constantly evolving landscape of health care technology. Future research should investigate the long-term impacts of AI utilization on learning outcomes and ethical decision-making.

The integration of artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT into educational frameworks marks a pivotal transformation in teaching. This quasi-experimental study, conducted in September 2023, aimed to evaluate the effects of artificial intelligence–assisted learning on nursing students' ethical decision-making and clinical reasoning. A total of 99 nursing students enrolled in a pediatric nursing course were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group that utilized ChatGPT and a control group that used traditional textbooks. The Mann-Whitney U test was employed to assess differences between the groups in two primary outcomes: (a) ethical standards, focusing on the understanding and applying ethical principles, and (b) nursing processes, emphasizing critical thinking skills and integrating evidence-based knowledge. The control group outperformed the experimental group in ethical standards and demonstrated better clinical reasoning in nursing processes. Reflective essays revealed that the experimental group reported lower reliability but higher time efficiency. Despite artificial intelligence's ability to offer diverse perspectives, the findings highlight that educators must supplement artificial intelligence technology with strategies that enhance critical thinking, careful data selection, and source verification. This study suggests a hybrid educational approach combining artificial intelligence with traditional learning methods to bolster nursing students' decision-making processes and clinical reasoning skills.

Background: The nursing faculty shortage has led to an increasing number of master's-prepared clinical nurse experts becoming nursing faculty to teach prelicensure nursing students, often without adequate preparation for the complex specialized role of an academic nurse educator. Method: A hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study was designed to gain insight about novice nursing faculty's experience in academia, to examine their perceptions of facilitators and barriers to the development of nurse educators' practice competence, and to identify transformative learning experiences related to novice faculty development. The data consisted of audio recordings and verbatim transcripts of interviews, along with journal data describing day-to-day experiences as novice nurse academics. Data were analyzed using Moustakas' seven-step process. Results: Facilitators and barriers, along with characteristics of transformative learning experiences, were identified. An essential combination of facilitating factors, mentorship, and internship programs was discovered. Conclusion: Internship programs are a necessary link in creating academic environments that contribute to the development of competence in novice nursing faculty. [ J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(2):96–100.]