Beyond Content Delivery: Investigating the Impact of Blended Micro-Courses on Pharmaceutical Literature Retrieval Skill Acquisition and Competency Development in Vocational Education

Fan Qiu, Youqing Tian, Cheng Huang, Hongning Pan, Liying Qiu

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¹ School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Vocational College Of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, Jiangsu, China,

² Institute of Higher Education, Jiangsu Vocational College Of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, Jiangsu, China,

ssr 2025 , 7(12), 231–240; https://doi.org/10.26689/ssr.v7i12.13380

Abstract

Micro-courses offer a flexible and accessible mode of learning. The effectiveness of a blended micro-course on pharmaceutical literature retrieval skills was empirically evaluated. Data were obtained from 76 pharmaceutical students in a quasi-experimental, pre-test-post-test control group design. Participants were allocated to an experimental group (n = 39) receiving the blended micro-course intervention or a control group (n = 37) receiving traditional instruction. Statistical analyses were undertaken in SPSS. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to compare post-intervention outcomes while controlling for baseline scores. The ANCOVA results revealed a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group for both practical skill acquisition (F(1, 73) = 60.677, p < .001, partial η² = .454) and competency development, including information need identification, retrieval, critical thinking, and application. Furthermore, students in the experimental group reported high levels of satisfaction with the blended micro-course, particularly praising its course design (M=5.0, SD=0.6) and the seamless integration of online and offline learning (M=4.8, SD=0.7). The findings provide evidence that a well-designed blended micro-course model, which intentionally integrates cognitive, social, and teaching presences, can significantly outperform traditional methods in fostering practical skills and professional competencies in vocational education.

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