Purpose – This study aims to evaluate the participation and satisfaction of learners with the brief ‘‘Mental health promotion in school health care’’ e-learning course, and to describe factors related to their participation and satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach – A convergent mixed-method study with a descriptive, posttest-only design was conducted in Finland. Quantitative data was collected from the learning portal data and via an electronic feedback questionnaire and qualitative data in four focus group discussions.

Findings – The three modules of the course were opened altogether 12,922 times during the 21months period. The identified factors influencing participation within the course were: favorite methods attracting attention, the relevance of additional information and postprocessing boosting diligence. The learners’ satisfaction with the course was high. The factors identified for improving satisfaction were: filling gaps in earlier education, clear and concise structure and content, inspiring and interesting design and suitability for clinical use. In addition to the primary target group (school nurses), the course was well-participated and evaluated as satisfying among other health and social care professionals as well as undergraduate students.

Originality/value – This study demonstrates demand for brief, fully online mental health trainings among school nurses, but also among other health and social care professionals and students. The results indicate that learners perceive such training as beneficial. This paper also presents a novel training intervention and its pedagogical base.

Keywords E-learning, Focus groups, Learning, Mental health, Nurses, Students