LAUSR

This study analyzes the effects of an educational pill strategy in a nursing anatomy course on academic performance, grade redistribution versus a control group, and student satisfaction, acknowledging that digital teaching innovations in higher education may not benefit all students equally. A learning pill strategy was implemented in a first-year nursing anatomy course. A pre–post quasi-experimental design assessed academic performance, while video usage and student satisfaction were analyzed using an ad hoc questionnaire. In the control group, 44.1% and 40.8% of students failed the first and second exams, respectively. In the intervention group, these percentages were 42.9% and 28.9%. While mean scores showed no significant differences in the control group, the intervention group improved significantly on the second exam (p < 0.001). Grade distribution differed between groups (χ2 = 8.635; p < 0.05), with fewer students scoring below 4 and more scoring between 6 and 8. Satisfaction analysis revealed three factors: usefulness/self-efficacy, motivation/learning, and structure/accessibility, with motivation (Factor 2) significantly associated with greater strategy use. Initial group heterogeneity influences how students use and benefit from teaching resources. These findings suggest that integrating educational pills into teaching practices may enhance conceptual understanding and increase student motivation.