Microlearning in medical histology: a longitudinal evaluation of faculty-created five-minute videos using five theoretical frameworks and Kirkpatrick assessment.

backgroundMedical histology education worldwide faces a documented crisis: curriculum compression has dramatically reduced laboratory instructional time while content expectations remain unchanged. Microlearning, in the form of faculty-created five-minute histology review videos, offers a pragmatic and evidence-based contribution, but empirical evidence for its value in tissue identification remains limited. This study provides rigorous longitudinal evidence across three Kirkpatrick levels to address this gap.

methodsThis longitudinal study followed first-year medical students across three time points within one semester at Alfaisal University, Saudi Arabia. Performance was assessed using a mock-OSPE on blood vessel histology. Students had access to 11 faculty-created five-minute histology review videos covering cardiovascular and renal histology. Four hypotheses were tested across Kirkpatrick levels 1-3, guided by five theoretical frameworks: Cognitive Load Theory, Multimedia Learning Theory, Variation Theory, Spaced Repetition Theory, and Self-Regulated Learning Theory. Two hypotheses addressed Kirkpatrick Level 3 behavior. Two frameworks - Variation Theory and Self-Regulated Learning Theory - were applied to histology video education for the first time, to the best of the author's knowledge.

resultsMock-OSPE scores were significantly higher in the post-intervention assessment, with a large effect size. The majority of students watched the videos multiple times across both organ systems. Positive perceptions remained consistently high across all three time points, while negative perceptions remained low overall. Faculty-created videos exhibited a 17-fold adoption increase, becoming students' primary out-of-class learning method. Students valued both videos and face-to-face microscopy, consistent with Generation Z's blended learning profile.

conclusionsFaculty-created five-minute histology review videos are an effective and reproducible microlearning component of a broader strategy to mitigate the effects of curriculum compression. They extended learning beyond limited laboratory hours through 24/7 access, were associated with higher tissue identification scores, and showed high voluntary adoption - complementing rather than replacing hands-on learning.