mPatch
Microlearning Application in a Multimedia Environment to Enhance Students
Learning
Nordiana Ludin, Mai Neo and Heidi Tan Yeen-Ju
Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Keywords: Microlearning, Mobile, Multimedia.
Abstract: Lessons are often being taught in a long length of information, which leads to the concern of holding and
capturing considerable attention from the students’ and having them to engage throughout the lesson. This
paper presents the development of microlearning application in a multimedia environment built within
microlearning dimensions and outlined by Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction to enhance learning
understanding amongst undergraduate students. Student feedback was gathered and indicated a positive
response towards the microlearning approach found within the multimediariched environment. Students’
motivation, understanding were enhanced in the learning environment, which supports the use of
microlearning application through web and mobile devices access in a technology integrated classroom in
higher education institutions.
1 INTRODUCTION
Technology innovation has shown to improve the
education landscape. Teaching and learning have
been introduced in a variety of approaches using
multimedia tools and web-based platforms to
accommodate wider learning scopes beyond the
classroom. However, lessons are often being taught in
a long length of information which leads to the
concern of holding and capturing considerable
attention from the students’ and having them to
engage throughout the lesson (Castell and Jenson,
2004). In using technology integration in our class,
mobile devices as multimedia platform application
lacks of proper guideline to assist students throughout
learning. Lectures are still in long length even after it
has been brought over to smaller sized screen such as
mobile phone and tablet. This has contributed to the
study to look into using microlearning application in
a multimedia environment incorporated with an
instructional outline of Gagne’s Nine Events of
Instruction to motivate and enhance students’
understanding in their learning process. This study
seeks to investigate adapting Gagne’s Nine Events of
Instruction (1985) within microlearning learning
environment (mLe), as lesson are often taught in long
length and holding considerable attention from the
students. Therefore, the objective of this research is
to develop a microlearning application using Gagne’s
Nine Events of Instruction (1985), to investigate
students’ perception towards the microlearning
application in their learning process and to list key
factors of using microlearning to enhance students’
learning process.
2 CONVENTIONAL LEARNING
AND ATTENTION SPAN IN
CLASSROOMS
With the current technology advancements, learning
is still being taught conventionally in class and
lecturers remain to be the main facilitator and would
have full control over the content delivery. Given the
traditional setting of a classroom, long length of
information in the form of text is commonly used
during lessons delivery in class. As according to
Wilson and Korn (2007), students experienced a
decline in attention in the first 10 – 15 minutes when
the lesson begins. Hence, this contributed to the
concern of gaining and maintaining students’
attention throughout the lesson (Silapachote and
Srisuphab, 2014).
392
Ludin, N., Neo, M. and Yeen-Ju, H.
mPatch - Microlearning Application in a Multimedia Environment to Enhance Students Learning.
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017) - Volume 1, pages 392-397
ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

2.1 Multimedia and Educational
Technology
The emergence of 21st century technology has
advanced mobile devices, web-based platforms and
internet connectivity that allows innovations to take
place in every aspects of education. These tools are
used to enhance teaching and learning process, which
include providing information, for example
curriculum contents and online notes, facilitating
‘student-teacher’ and ‘student-student
communication’, and also connecting students to a
large volume of information from anywhere around
the globe. Media elements such as graphic,
animation, audio and video are seen as growing
components commonly used in classrooms to make
learning process more enticing for the students.
2.2 Microlearning
Microlearning was introduced from the concept of
micro content in the understanding of learning,
education, and training. Dimensions on determining a
microlearning environment includes small units,
narrowed down topics, short in duration, and bite-
length contents (Hug, 2005). Net Generation
(millennial) is more in tune with current technology
such as mobile devices and social media as compared
to the previous generations (McMahon and Pospisil,
2005). Therefore, this is a contributing factor of why
microlearning has gained a distinctive place in the
digital workspace and ubiquitously found within any
mobile connectivity, where information can be
delivered online, in small sized, and at the learner
space and time. A few implementations of
microlearning practices in communication
technologies has been used in the teaching and
learning process, i.e. short message service (SMS)
and e-mail (Hug, 2005). According to Hartley (2010),
microlearning can be used to challenge students’
knowledge and to reflect on what they have learned
during the course. However, learning a more complex
set of skills will require more time and hands on
practice such as learning a musical instrument, a new
software, and learning teamwork or managerial skills.
2.3 Gagne’s Nine Event of Instruction
as Instructional Design Theory
Instructional design is referred as a discipline that
aims to strategize learning material and information
resources to encourage learning. Gagne’s Nine
Events of Instruction has developed a systematic way
of designing instruction and has been shown to effect
high levels of engagement in learning and is
considered a seminal model for developing
instruction. Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction has
developed effective outline to an instructional module
which firstly suggests that learning has to begin with
gaining the students’ attention. Followed by
informing learners of the objective and stimulating
recall of prior knowledge as to set learners
expectations and later to reflect learning itself. Next,
students will go through the learning process with the
content presented in the module and an opportunity to
evaluate their knowledge and skills by practices with
feedback with for each learner’s outcome. This helps
the learner to gain satisfaction and confidence in
assessing their own capability and lastly help learners
to strengthen their understanding and enhance
retention.
3 METHODOLOGY
An interactive microlearning multimedia
environment module was developed to assess
students’ perception, attitude, and their learning
performance. Participants were a group of
undergraduate students (n=51), within the same
course, taking a particular subject. These students
were given pre-test and post-test to assess academic
outcome, Likert-scale survey to measure the students’
attitude attached together with 5 open ended
questions and a focus group interview further
investigate their responses.
3.1 Development of the Interactive
Microlearning Environment with
Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction
The learning content developed consists of
microlearning dimensions (Hug, 2005), incorporated
with Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction (1985). The
interactive microlearning environment is named
‘mPatch’ as a Microlearning Environment (mLe).
The content for the mLe development are selected
subtopics entitled “White Space” and “The 2:3/1:3
Rule” from the Web Design class which is an actually
class syllabus taught in Faculty of Creative
Multimedia. Students were demonstrated with the
mLe modules after they have gone through the
subtopics’ lecture in class. Next, an URL was then
distributed to each of the students for them to access
the mLe modules anytime, anywhere at their own
convenience using their computer, or mobile devices
such as smartphones, tablets and iPad. These mLe
mPatch - Microlearning Application in a Multimedia Environment to Enhance Students Learning
393

modules were designed with the use of Adobe
Creative Suite software’s. Gagne’s Nine Events of
Instruction (1985) were adapted and incorporated into
the mLe modules. These principles were presented in
the modules designed for the students to learn from:
 Gaining attention: A short animation of the
‘White Space’ title at the beginning of the
video was used to attract students’ attention.
 Inform objective: Students were then
informed of the objective and outcomes to help
them understand what they will gain in
completing the mLe module.
 Stimulate recall of prior learning: This event
was to help students make sense of the
information or reflecting it to something that
they have learned in class. From the mLe
module, students were asked of questions about
their understanding of the subtopic.
 Present the content: Content were shown and
demonstrated in a form of a short interactive
video, which consist of text, narration, graphics
and animation to explain ‘White Space’.
 Provide learning guidance: In the mLe
module, visual images and examples were
mainly used to provide learning guidance for
the students.
 Elicit performance: A set of interactive
questions were asked within the video. The
video will pause and students can answer
accordingly, allowing them to practice their
understanding.
 Provide feedback: The students then received
immediate feedback for every correct or
incorrect answer. From this, student can assess
and facilitate learning.
 Assess performance: In assessing
performance, a post-test was conducted to
check knowledge mastery.
 Enhance retention and transfer to the job:
Students can then share the video for
discussion with peers. A list of link was
included at the end for further references.
Figure 1 shows a conceptual design of the
students’ learning process in this environment. A part
of the mLe module as shown in Figure 2 enabling
students to practice their understanding before they
can proceed to the next part of the video. This part is
followed by a feedback upon right or wrong answer
to the quiz including an explanation to help them
evaluate their knowledge and deepen their
understanding.
Figure 1: The student’s learning process in the mLe.
Figure 2: A screenshot of Gagne’s instruction event 6, ‘eliciting performance’ is shown. Students were given a set of questions
within the video to practice.
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3.2 Students Learning Outcome: Pre-
test and Post-test
Results from the pre-test and post-test are analysed
and shown. This includes the mean and standard
deviation generated from students’ score from the
test. This is to identify whether there is a statistically
significant improvement in the learning. Followed by
the descriptive statistic for each survey questionnaires
collected. Table 1 shows the results of the pre-test and
post-test collected. Result shows that students scored
a higher mean of 9.16 after going through the mLe
module before taking it (mean = 7.20), which
indicates an increase in understanding of the content.
A paired sample t-test as 95% confidence level was
also conducted in order to measure the significance of
the 1.961 change in the score. These results suggested
that students’ learning outcome was statistically
significant (p<0.05) and was at satisfying level. This
indicates that the students’ learning outcomes were
enhanced after using the mLe module.
Table 1: The statistical data from pre-test and post-test
results from the mLe.
3.3 Students’ Perception and Attitude
Evaluation: Survey
Students’ responses on the Likert-scale survey
distributed were collected and analysed. From the
result, selected mean from the overall responses and
the accumulative percentage of ‘Agree’ and ‘Strongly
Agree’ of respective statements from the survey are
presented in a descending manner. Students who
answered positively, from 4 and above (Mean) on the
scale are shown in Table 2. These results are then
clustered into 5 categories: motivation, mobile,
microlearning, multimedia and interactivity, and
content.
Table 2: Descriptive statistic result for survey.
No Surver Items Mean (%)
1 The content was simple and
straightforward
4.24 84.5
2 I was able to learn on the go 4.14 84.5
3 The module helped me to reflect what i
have learned in class
4.14 86.2
4 It didn’t take me too long to finish my
module
4.12 82.7
5 I had no problem going through the
module on my own
4.12 84.5
6 The content was brief enough for me to
understan
d
4.12 84.5
7 I was able to assess my progress within
this module with the ‘Quiz’
4.07 81.1
8 It did not take me much effort to
understand the content of this module
4.03 79.3
9 The short, engaging content in the
module gave me confidence in my
learning
4.02 82.7
10 I was able to understand better with the
video demonstration
4.02 79.3
3.4 Student Feedback
Feedbacks from both open-ended questions and
interview sessions were recorded to further solicited
deeper and richer understanding towards students’
perceptions and personal experience after learning the
subtopics via the interactive learning environment. A
selective of feedbacks reflects students’ perception
and attitude towards the learning module are shown
in Table 3.
Table 3. Selective student comments on interactive
microlearning environment module.
No Student Comment
1 Easy to understand and simple.
2 It is easy, efficient and effective. Makes the topic
interesting.
3
M
akes it easier to understand a certain topic.
4 It is a fun way of learning because we can answer the
question on the phone.
5
I
t is very convenient to learn the topic while on-the-
g
o.
6
I
liked it as it is accessible on
p
hone and laptops…
7 It’s really good because it is important and short and
simple so that it is easy for the students to repeat and
catch the important things.
8 It is very straightforward and helped me to understand
the content bette
r
.
9 I think it is more interesting than normal slides because
if I study myself I will be very boring.
10 …I had a few information that was easy to memorize.
11 …I think that’s a good way to reflect our understanding
regarding the subject itself.
12 Quiz helped me recall what I have learned in class.
mPatch - Microlearning Application in a Multimedia Environment to Enhance Students Learning
395

4 DISCUSSION AND
CONCLUSIONS
From the overall perception obtained, students
acknowledged features surrounding 5 categories;
motivation, microlearning, multimedia and
interactivity, content and mobility. The mLe module
had motivated them to learn more of the subtopic and
that it has helped them to understand better
supplementing as a quick revision. For microlearning,
students like the small-sized information included
and find the mLe module easy and fast to learn with.
The portability of accessing via mobile has
encouraged students to learn anytime, anywhere
conveniently. The idea of including multimedia and
interactivity elements within the module has found to
be enjoyable and engaging throughout the learning
process.
Based on item 1, the responses (M = 4.24) have
shown the mLe module was overall simple and
straightforward. Student reported that it did not take
much effort nor time for them to understand the
content within the module (Item 4, = 4.12 and Item 8,
M = 4.03). In term of microlearning, 84.5% of
students found the content were brief enough for them
to understand (Item 6, M = 4.12). With regards of the
mobility, responses for Item 2 (M = 4.14) shows
students agreed that they were able to learn on the go.
Furthermore, students have shown positive feedbacks
towards the use of multimedia and interactivity
elements found within the module. This is shown by
the responses obtained from Item 10 (M = 4.02)
indicating students’ likeability towards the use of
video within the mLe module. Students perceived the
short, engaging content in the module gave me
confidence in my learning, shown by the responses
collected for Item 9 (M = 4.02). From the results, it is
clear that the students accepted and moreover, were
likeable towards the mLe modules as a part of their
learning process. In term of content, a high majority
of 86.2% students reported that they were able to
reflect what they have learned in class (Item 3, M =
4.14) and that they were able to assess their own
progress in understanding the content within the
module (Item 7, M = 4.07). From result Item 5 (M =
4.12), it shows that student agreed that they did not
have any problem in going through the module on
their own.
Overall, this study has suggested that
microlearning application with the incorporation of
Gagne’s instructional model within a
multimediariched environment is a working strategy
to enhance students’ understanding in their learning
process. In addition, critical factors of using
microlearning application within the learning process
were determined; (i) microlearning was effective as a
fast learning approach and; (ii) microlearning
increased comprehension; (iii) motivation is as an
important outcome of the mLe modules; (iv) Gagne’s
Instructional Events exist and was an effective
instructional design for the module; (v) multimedia
and interactive elements were effective components
as a part of student learning process; (vi) mobile was
an acceptable and still growing learning platform.
The mLe module has provided a platform for learning
to take place anywhere and anytime as it allows
students to access the class content via resolutions fit
to be viewed on computer or mobile devices.
However, a number of unavoidable limitations
have been recorded along the study, which includes
internet connection for the use of accessing the
module. Some students faced difficulties to access the
module especially when the module was conducted in
class due to unstable internet connection within the
campus. Despite of that, students were given a
duration of time to access and explore at their own
leisure time after class. Besides, another limitation
found was that not all of the students had the
advantage to own a personal smartphone or a tablet.
Identifying an instructional strategy well suited for
microlearning application in a multimedia
environment for better learning outcomes was an aim
of the study. The learning module was developed with
a suitable instructional model, adaptable with the
microlearning dimensions and practical within a
multimedia environment in particularly for mobile
devices platforms. The research outcomes also show
that the instructional design can exist in a
microlearning environment and that the students had
positive feedbacks towards the application. This is
supported with the significant improvement in the
students’ learning performance via the mLe modules.
In this study, we have incorporated Gagne’s Nine
Events of Instruction (1985) within microlearning
application (mLe) and investigated students’
perception towards the microlearning application in
their learning process and listed key factors of using
microlearning to enhance students’ learning process.
As a conclusion, microlearning application in a
multimedia environment with the incorporation of
Gagne’ instructions as a practical strategy in
enhancing understanding and increase the
effectiveness in learning
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank the students of
Multimedia University for their participation in this
study.
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