First-year professional psychology students rated a newly developed experiential video-based coursework assignment as useful, realistic and appropriately challenging, according to a mixed-methods evaluation published in BMC Medical Education. Of 113 eligible students, 101 took part in the evaluation, and every respondent recommended keeping the coursework as part of the training program. The study, led by Signe Hjelen Stige, examined whether the assignment could serve as a bridge between low-risk classroom learning and high-risk clinical learning situations.

The coursework centers on simulated patient videos that place students in interpersonally complex scenarios before they encounter real patients. Health sciences education faces a structural paradox: students need exposure to realistic learning situations to develop professional competencies, yet institutions must protect patient safety by ensuring students reach a threshold level of competence before entering high-risk clinical settings. Technology-supported experiential learning is one proposed way to narrow that gap, and the new study tested whether a video-based version of this approach is workable in practice.

The evaluation used a mixed-methods design with students who had completed the coursework as part of their training. Quantitative data consisted of students’ ratings of perceived usefulness, realism, level of difficulty and technical functionality, along with their recommendations regarding future use of the assignment. Qualitative data came from open-ended survey questions exploring students’ experiences of the coursework’s usefulness, its perceived strengths and limitations, technical challenges they encountered, and suggestions for further development.

The quantitative results pointed to broad acceptance. Students generally perceived the coursework to be useful for their learning and professional development, and the simulated patient videos were experienced as realistic and appropriately challenging for their level of training. The unanimous recommendation to retain the assignment suggests that, despite technical friction, students saw enough educational value to want it embedded in the curriculum going forward.

The qualitative findings added texture to those ratings. Students valued early engagement with the professional role, meaning the videos gave them a chance to step into the mindset of a practicing psychologist long before clinical placements begin. They also reported opportunities for reflection on personal and professional development, a dimension that classroom instruction alone often struggles to provide. This reflective component appears to be a key part of why students found the assignment meaningful rather than merely an exercise in watching recordings.

At the same time, students identified several technical challenges that affected their experience of the coursework. The evaluation did not specify the nature of these obstacles in its summary findings, but the authors concluded that important technical obstacles should be addressed in further development of the coursework. Technical functionality was one of the dimensions students rated quantitatively, indicating that the research team treated smooth operation of the technology as a distinct variable rather than an afterthought.

The authors concluded that experiential video-based coursework is both feasible and acceptable as a supplementary learning activity in professional psychology training. Feasibility here refers to whether the assignment can be delivered and completed within an existing training program, while acceptability refers to whether students judge it worthwhile and relevant. Both dimensions received support from the data, though the study’s design as a single-cohort evaluation means the findings describe one program’s experience rather than a general effect across institutions.

The study’s conclusions also mark the boundary of what the evidence shows. Because the evaluation measured student perceptions rather than clinical performance, it cannot establish that the coursework improves competence. The authors explicitly stated that future research should examine whether completion of this type of coursework is associated with improvements in clinically relevant competencies and learning outcomes. That distinction matters: students found the videos realistic and challenging, but whether that perceived challenge translates into measurable skill development remains an open empirical question.

The research was published as an open access article on 04 November 2026 and is citable under a permanent DOI. As an early-release version shared to provide faster access to peer-reviewed, accepted research, it remains subject to further edits before the final Version of Record replaces it. For educators in psychology and the wider health sciences, the study offers a concrete data point that simulated video-based assignments can be integrated into early-stage training with strong student endorsement, provided the technical infrastructure receives the attention students clearly expect it to have.

Subject of Research: Feasibility and acceptability of experiential video-based coursework in professional psychology training

Article Title: A mixed-methods study of the feasibility and acceptability of experiential video-based coursework in professional psychology training

Article References: Stige, S. H. (2026). A mixed-methods study of the feasibility and acceptability of experiential video-based coursework in professional psychology training. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10766-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10766-x

Keywords: professional psychology training, video-based coursework, simulated patient videos, mixed-methods evaluation, health sciences education, experiential learning, student acceptability, technical challenges, clinical competencies, BMC Medical Education, mixed-methods, feasibility