Impact of Virtual Laboratory-Assisted Microlearning on Students' Motivation, Engagement, and Academic Success

Open and distance learning (ODL) often faces challenges in increasing student motivation and engagement. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a virtual laboratory-assisted microlearning platform in alleviating the identified challenges. Using a quasi-experimental methodology, 52 students from higher education institutions in Indonesia were divided into two different groups: the experimental group received a virtual laboratory-assisted microlearning treatment, while the control group utilized a conventional microlearning platform. Descriptive statistical analysis revealed that the experimental group achieved mean motivation and engagement score of 187.00 (SD = 3.82213), in contrast to the control group, which recorded a lower mean score of 167.8929 (SD = 6.03287). A statistically significant difference between the two groups was demonstrated through a t-test (t = 13.375, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the N-Gain analysis proved the superior effectiveness of the experimental group, resulting in a score of 0.7243 (high category) compared to the control group's score of 0.4697 (moderate category). This finding confirms that the integration of virtual laboratory in microlearning not only increases motivation and engagement, but also contributes to students' academic success in ODL, making it an effective alternative for teaching in the digital era.