Personalisation and embodiment in e-Learning for health professionals: A randomised controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Medical Education
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Mayer's theory of multimedia learning suggests personalization and embodiment (P/E) enhance e-Learning outcomes.
• Healthcare education increasingly utilizes e-Learning modules for professional development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if an e-Learning module enhanced with P/E principles improves knowledge, perceived P/E, and motivation in healthcare professionals compared to a standard module.
• To test the hypothesis that P/E strategies positively impact learning experiences and outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A randomized trial compared two 30-minute e-Learning modules on antibiotic management of pneumonia.
• The enhanced module incorporated conversational style, visible author, and expert videos, while the standard module used formal slides and voiceover.
• Outcomes included knowledge, perceived P/E (CPQ), motivation (IMMS, MSLQ), and satisfaction, assessed in pharmacists, physicians, and advanced practice providers.

Main Results:

• Knowledge scores were not significantly different between the enhanced and unenhanced modules (p=0.78).
• Perceived P/E was significantly higher in the enhanced module (p<0.001), with a large effect size (Cohen d=0.85).
• Motivational features (IMMS) significantly improved with the enhanced module (p=0.02), while overall motivation (MSLQ) and satisfaction showed no significant difference.

Conclusions:

• Applying P/E principles to e-Learning significantly increases learner's perception of P/E and enhances motivational features.
• While P/E strategies positively impact the learning experience and engagement, they did not lead to a statistically significant improvement in knowledge acquisition in this study.
• The findings suggest P/E principles are valuable for improving engagement in e-Learning but may require further optimization for knowledge gain.