Team-based Learning in Therapeutics Workshop Sessions

Objectives

To implement team-based learning in the workshop portion of a pathophysiology and therapeutics sequence of courses to promote integration of concepts across the pharmacy curriculum, provide a consistent problem-solving approach to patient care, and determine the impact on student perceptions of professionalism and teamwork.

Design

Team-based learning was incorporated into the workshop portion of 3 of 6 pathophysiology and therapeutics courses. Assignments that promoted team-building and application of key concepts were created.

Assessment

Readiness assurance tests were used to assess individual and team understanding of course materials. Students consistently scored 20% higher on team assessments compared with individual assessments. Mean professionalism and teamwork scores were significantly higher after implementation of team-based learning; however, this improvement was not considered educationally significant. Approximately 91% of students felt team-based learning improved understanding of course materials and 93% of students felt teamwork should continue in workshops.

Conclusion

Team-based learning is an effective teaching method to ensure a consistent approach to problem-solving and curriculum integration in workshop sessions for a pathophysiology and therapeutics course sequence.     

Using Team-based Learning in an Endocrine Module Taught Across Two Campuses

Objectives

To implement a team-based learning (TBL) format in an endocrine module to promote students'' active learning in a course delivered to 2 campuses.

Methods

Course lectures were transformed into 13 TBL sessions consisting of content pre-assignments (self-directed learning), in-class readiness assurance tests (accountability), and team problem solving of patient cases and faculty-led class discussion (knowledge application). Student performance was evaluated through multiple assessments during the TBL sessions and on unit examinations. Students evaluated each individual TBL session and the course as a whole.

Results

Course grades were higher using the TBL method compared to the traditional lecture-based method that was used previously. Individual readiness assurance tests and team contribution scores significantly predicted overall course grades (p<0.001). Students accepted the change in course format as indicated by course evaluation results.

Conclusions

TBL is an effective active-learning, instructional strategy for courses with large student-to-faculty ratios and distance education environments.     

Active-learning assignments to integrate basic science and clinical course material

Objective

To develop, implement, and evaluate active-learning exercises requiring the integration and application of pathophysiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutics knowledge of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to formulate therapeutic recommendations for patients with musculoskeletal disorders.

Design

Two team-based case study exercises, one evaluating a patient with osteoarthritis and the second, a patient with rheumatoid arthritis, were developed, incorporating material and questions from pathophysiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutics. The learning assignments were implemented in a required pharmacotherapy module.

Assessment

Student learning was evaluated using performance on the team-based case study exercises and on 2 examinations. A standard student course evaluation was used to assess students'' impressions of the learning activity. The mean student grades for the osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis activities were 9.1 and 8.9, respectively, on a 10-point scale. The majority of students indicated that the learning exercises were more than adequate to excellent in helping students learn.

Conclusion

The addition of active-learning activities was successful in teaching pharmacy students the knowledge needed to formulate therapeutic recommendations for patients with musculoskeletal disorders.     

Best Practices Assessment to Guide Curricular Change in a Bachelor of Pharmacy Program

Objectives

To identify best practices in global pharmacy education and curriculum design as the basis for decisions about major curriculum change in an existing 4-year bachelor of pharmacy curriculum.

Design

We investigated international best-practice standards, conducted semi-structured interviews with faculty members, and used standardized instruments to investigate student perceptions of the existing curriculum and how they approached their learning.

Assessment

Faculty recommendations included horizontal and vertical integration of curriculum content to replace the previous discipline-based approach; and a theme-based structure underpinned by a detailed statement of learning outcomes that describe the knowledge, skills, and attitudinal milestones to be achieved each year and by the time of graduation. The triangulation of student survey data highlighted issues that needed to be addressed at the individual course unit level, with a particular focus on feedback, assessment, and workload.

Conclusions

The results of the curriculum review provided clear guidance for decisions relating to major curriculum change. An ongoing program of staff development will address the wide range of learning and teaching issues identified by both staff members and students. The results of our investigation of students'' approaches to learning will also be used to guide staff development workshops, focusing on strategies to promote “meaningful learning.”     

Heart of Pharmacy: A Course Exploring the Psychosocial Issues of Patient Care

Objective

To implement and assess the impact of a course utilizing reflective learning to explore the complex, psychosocial human issues encountered in pharmacy practice.

Design

A 1-credit-hour elective course, The Heart of Pharmacy, was offered to all pharmacy students. The course utilized both content and reflective techniques to produce a mutual exploratory learning experience for students, staff, and faculty members. Faculty and staff facilitators observed competencies and used a single group posttest design to assess students’ attitudes. In year four, students’ written reflections for each session were added and reviewed on a continuous basis throughout the course.

Assessment

Faculty and staff observations indicated that educational outcomes were achieved and student perceptions and evaluations of the course were highly positive. Three major themes were identified in the students’ qualitative responses: a recognition of communal support among student and faculty colleagues; a grounding for personal growth and professional formation; a deeper insight into and experience with the role of the pharmacist as compassionate listener and caregiver.

Conclusion

Faculty observations of student competencies and students’ perceptions of this course point to the need for pharmacy education to provide organized, structured reflective learning opportunities for students and faculty members to explore the deeper human issues of pharmacy practice and patient care.     

Learning bridge tool to improve student learning, preceptor training, and faculty teamwork

Objectives

To implement a Learning Bridge tool to improve educational outcomes for pharmacy students as well as for preceptors and faculty members.

Design

Pharmacy faculty members collaborated to write 9 case-based assignments that first-year pharmacy (P1) students worked with preceptors to complete while at experiential sites.

Assessment

Students, faculty members, and preceptors were surveyed about their perceptions of the Learning Bridge process. As in our pilot study,¹ the Learning Bridge process promoted student learning. Additionally, the Learning Bridge assignments familiarized preceptors with the school''s P1 curriculum and its content. Faculty teamwork also was increased through collaborating on the assignments.

Conclusions

The Learning Bridge assignments provided a compelling learning environment and benefited students, preceptors, and faculty members.     

Faculty and student expectations and perceptions of e-mail communication in a campus and distance doctor of pharmacy program

Objective

To examine faculty members'' and students'' expectations and perceptions of e-mail communication in a dual pathway pharmacy program.

Methods

Three parallel survey instruments were administered to campus students, distance students, and faculty members, respectively. Focus groups with students and faculty were conducted.

Results

Faculty members perceived themselves as more accessible and approachable by e-mail than either group of students did. Campus students expected a shorter faculty response time to e-mail and for faculty members to be more available than did distance students.

Conclusion

E-mail is an effective means of computer-mediated communication between faculty members and students and can be used to promote a sense of community and inclusiveness (ie, immediacy), especially with distant students.     

Using Cooperative Learning for a Drug Information Assignment

Objectives

To implement a cooperative learning activity to engage students in analyzing tertiary drug information resources in a literature evaluation course.

Design

The class was divided into 4 sections to form expert groups and each group researched a different set of references using the jigsaw technique. Each member of each expert group was reassigned to a jigsaw group so that each new group was composed of 4 students from 4 different expert groups. The jigsaw groups met to discuss search strategies and rate the usefulness of the references. In addition to group-based learning, teaching methods included students'' writing an independent research paper to enhance their abilities to search and analyze drug information resources.

Assessment

The assignment and final course grades improved after implementation of the activity. Students agreed that class discussions were a useful learning experience and 75% (77/102) said they would use the drug information references for other courses.

Conclusion

The jigsaw technique was successful in engaging students in cooperative learning to improve critical thinking skills regarding drug information.     

A vidcasting project to promote the pharmacist's role in public health

Objective

To develop, implement, and assess an Internet-based vidcasting project to promote the pharmacist''s role in public health.

Design

This was a collaborative effort for 2 different courses taught at 2 different schools of pharmacy. Faculty members created a special instructional design for students to follow in planning, producing, and publishing video public service announcements on the Internet.

Assessment

Formative and summative assessments, including course examinations, a grading rubric, student survey, and focus group, were implemented to evaluate student learning and public reaction. Students believed Internet video public service announcements served as a useful reference for patients and professionals, aided in promoting disease prevention and wellness initiatives, positively impacted patient-provider relationships, and increased awareness regarding significance and financial impact of disease burden.

Conclusion

Producing a public health information video and vidcasting it on the Internet increased pharmacy students'' self-esteem, respect for peers, creative and critical-thinking abilities, and understanding of the need for and importance of pharmacists providing accurate public health information.     

Impact of a Student Response System on Short- and Long-Term Learning in a Drug Literature Evaluation Course

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of a student response system on short- and long-term learning in a required second-year pharmacy course.

Method

Student volunteers enrolled in the course Drug Literature Evaluation were blinded and randomized to 1 of 2 groups. Group 1 attended a lecture in which the instructor used a student response system. Group 2 attended the same lecture by the same instructor an hour later, but no student response system was used. A 16-point unannounced quiz on the lecture material was administered to both groups at the end of class. Approximately 1 month later, both groups were given another unannounced quiz on the same material to test long-term student learning.

Results

One hundred seventy-nine (92.3%) students participated in both quizzes. Students who attended the class in which the student response system was used scored an average 1 point higher on quiz 1 than students who were assigned to the control group (10.7 vs. 9.7; p = 0.02). No significant difference was seen between the quiz 2 scores of the 2 groups (9.5 vs. 9.5; p = 0.99).

Conclusions

The use of a student response system can positively impact students'' short-term learning; however, that positive effect did not appear to last over time. Faculty members may want to consider the use of student response systems to enhance student learning in large lecture classes.     

A clinical nutrition course to improve pharmacy students' skills and confidence in counseling patients

Objective

To create, implement, and evaluate a PharmD course on primary care nutrition.

Design

A 2-credit hour elective course was offered to second- and third-year pharmacy students. It was informed by the Socratic method using a minimum number of formal lecture presentations and featured problem-based learning exercises, case-based scenarios, and scientific literature to fuel informed debate. A single group posttest design with a retrospective pretest was used to assess students'' self-efficacy.

Assessment

There was a significant overall improvement in students'' self-efficacy in their ability to practice primary care nutrition.

Conclusion

Completion of a nutrition course improved students'' confidence in providing primary care nutrition and empowered them to speak more comfortably about the role of nutrition in the prevention of chronic diseases.     

Transforming a large-class lecture course to a smaller-group interactive course

Objective

To transition a large pharmacokinetics course that was delivered using a traditional lecture format into a smaller-group course with a discussion format.

Design

An e-book and Web-based multimedia learning modules were utilized to facilitate students'' independent learning which allowed the number of classes they were required to attend to be reduced from 3 to 1 per week. Students were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 weekly class sessions. The majority of lecture time was replaced with active-learning activities including discussion, problem solving, and case studies to encourage higher-order learning.

Assessment

Changes in course delivery were assessed over a 4-year period by comparing students'' grades and satisfaction ratings on course evaluations. Although student satisfaction with the course did not improve significantly, students preferred the smaller-group setting to a large lecture-based class. The resources and activities designed to shift responsibility for learning to the students did not affect examination grades even though a larger portion of examination questions focused on higher orders of learning (eg, application) in the smaller-group format.

Conclusions

Transitioning to a smaller-group discussion format is possible in a pharmacokinetics course by increasing student accountability for acquiring factual content outside of the classroom. Students favored the smaller-class format over a large lecture-based class.     

Pharmacy students' approaches to learning in undergraduate and graduate entry programs

Objectives

To compare longitudinal data with previous cross-sectional data regarding Australian undergraduate pharmacy students'' approaches to learning, and explore the differences in approaches to learning between undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts.

Methods

Longitudinal, repeated measures design using a validated self-report survey instrument were used to gather data.

Results

Undergraduate students'' preferences for meaning directed, undirected, and reproduction-directed approaches to learning displayed the same pattern across the 2 studies; however, application-directed scores increased significantly in the second half of the undergraduate degree program. Commencing postgraduate students'' approaches to learning were similar to finishing undergraduate students, and this group was significantly more oriented towards meaning-directed learning compared to undergraduate students.

Conclusions

Pharmacy students'' maturation in approach to their learning was evident and this bodes well for pharmacists'' engaging in life-long learning and capacity to work in increasingly complex health settings.     

A systems approach to scaffold communication skills development

Objectives

To implement a communication skills development (CSD) system and evaluate its effectiveness in a clinical communications course.

Design

Students conducted baseline interviews and wrote SOAP notes, and based on faculty, patient, self- and peer assessments, set goals for improvement of their communication skills. Students participated in various activities to scaffold their learning, several of which took place in a web-based environment to enhance access and function for both students and faculty members. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed.

Assessment

Students'' communication skills improved as evidenced by assessment scores. Student and faculty comments offered additional evidence of the effectiveness of standardized patient interviews, learning strategies, and assessment methods.

Conclusion

The CSD system effectively integrated various types of learning activities and feedback processes. The use of scaffolding strategies appeared to enhance the development of students'' communication skills.     

A Blended Learning Approach to Teaching Basic Pharmacokinetics and the Significance of Face-to-Face Interaction

Objective

To assess pharmacy students'' attitudes towards a blended-learning pharmacokinetics course.

Design

Narrated visual presentations and animations that illustrated kinetic processes and guided students through the use of software programs used for calculations were created. Other learning techniques used included online self-assessment quizzes, practice problem sets, and weekly face-to-face problem-solving tutorials.

Assessment

A precourse questionnaire to assess students'' level of enthusiasm towards the blended-learning course and to solicit any concerns they had was administered at the beginning of the course. A postcourse questionnaire that included the same 4 Likert-scale items from the precourse questionnaire and follow-up open-ended questions was administered. Individual changes in level of enthusiasm were compared for individuals who completed both the precourse and postcourse questionnaire. Students'' concerns about the blended method of learning had decreased postcourse while their enthusiasm for the benefits of blended learning had increased.

Conclusion

Students'' initial concerns about the blended learning experience were focused on their ability to communicate with the instructor about the online components, but shifted to their own time management skills at the end of the course. Face-to-face interactions with each other and with the instructor were more highly rated than online interactions in this course.     

Active-learning exercises to teach drug-receptor interactions in a medicinal chemistry course

Objective

To incorporate structural biology, enzyme kinetics, and visualization of protein structures in a medicinal chemistry course to teach fundamental concepts of drug design and principles of drug action.

Design

Pedagogy for active learning was incorporated via hands-on experience with visualization software for drug-receptor interactions and concurrent laboratory sessions. Learning methods included use of clicker technology, in-class assignments, and analogies.

Assessment

Quizzes and tests that included multiple-choice and open-ended items based on Bloom''s taxonomy were used to assess learning. Student feedback, classroom exercises, and tests were used to assess teaching methods and effectiveness in meeting learning outcomes.

Conclusion

The addition of active-learning activities increased students'' understanding of fundamental medicinal chemistry concepts such as ionization state of molecules, enzyme kinetics, and the significance of protein structure in drug design.     

Improvisational Exercises to Improve Pharmacy Students' Professional Communication Skills

Objective

To create and implement improvisational exercises to improve first-year pharmacy students'' communication skills.

Design

Twelve 1-hour improvisational sessions were developed and added to an existing/established patient communication course to improve 3 basic skills: listening, observing and responding. Standardized patient examinations were used to evaluate student communication skills, and course evaluations and reflective journaling were used to evaluate students'' perceptions of the improvisational exercises.

Assessment

The improvisational exercises markedly improved the students'' performance in several aspects of standardized patient examination. Additionally, course evaluations and student comments reflected their perception that the improvisational exercises significantly improved their communication skills.

Summary

Improvisational exercises are an effective way to teach communication skills to pharmacy students.     

Active-learning strategies to develop health literacy knowledge and skills

Objective

To implement active-learning exercises in a required pharmacy course and assess their impact on students'' knowledge and confidence in identifying and communicating with patients with low health literacy, as part of a required course in cultural competency, health literacy, and health beliefs.

Design

Active-learning activities including administering health literacy assessments, identifying informal signs of low health literacy, conducting mock patient counseling sessions, rating the readability of drug information, analyzing information in drug advertisements, and writing patient education materials were incorporated into the 6-sesssion health literacy portion of the course.

Assessment

A pretest and posttest showed that students'' knowledge of health literacy increased, and a retrospective pretest found improvement in students'' confidence in their ability to care for patients with low health literacy. In-class discussions provided informal evidence that students gained new knowledge from the active-learning activities.

Conclusion

The addition of active-learning activities was effective in teaching health literacy concepts to pharmacy students.     

Learning Across the Curriculum: Connecting the Pharmaceutical Sciences to Practice in the First Professional Year

Objectives

To facilitate the student''s ability to make the connection of the core foundational basic science courses to the practice of pharmacy.

Design

In 2000, 10 faculty members from basic science and practice courses created and implemented an integrated Patient Care Project for which students chose a volunteer patient and completed 15 different assignments

Assessment

Evidence of student learning, such as grades and reflective comments along with collected evaluative data, indicated an enhancement in students'' perceived understanding of the connection between basic science and patient care.

Conclusion

The Patient Care Project provided students an opportunity to use knowledge gained in their first-year foundational courses to the care of a patient, solidifying their understanding of the connection between basic science and patient care.     

Using game format in small group classes for pharmacotherapeutics case studies

Objective

To incorporate games in classroom teaching to encourage student interest and participation in a small group pharmacy therapeutics case studies class.

Design

Using a television quiz show and classic board game format, students and the instructor developed games to discuss patient care plans. At the end of the course, a questionnaire was administered to assess students'' attitudes and perception of using game format in the class and whether this teaching method was useful in reinforcing therapeutic knowledge.

Assessment

The majority of the students felt that games were beneficial in their learning process. The game format also resulted in higher student participation scores.

Conclusions

The game-format approach to learning aroused student interest, enhanced participation, and improved their participation grades. Although the game format of leaning is an effective way of actively engaging students in higher leaning, determining how these games improve test scores will require further assessment.