Practical Insights for the Pharmacist Educator on Student Engagement

A meta-narrative review of choose-your-own-adventure style patient case activities in pharmacy education

BACKGROUND

The objective of this review was to characterize the methods of delivery and assessment of Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA)-style activities in pharmacy education. A secondary objective was to utilize available data to determine best practices for educators interested in developing similar activities.

METHODS

A meta-narrative approach according to the guidance of the RAMESES standards was used for this review. A broad literature search was conducted using PubMed and Embase. Studies published on the use of a CYOA-style patient case format in pharmacy education were identified and appraised individually for their relevance.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies from the pharmacy education literature were included in the review. Activities were delivered for 25 unique topics, largely in small groups during class via patient simulation or interactive data collection software. Overall, students have a positive perception of CYOA-style activities, with positive results regarding knowledge development and student engagement. The most commonly reported challenge to implementing CYOA-style patient case activities was the up-front time commitment to develop activities.

IMPLICATIONS

This review provides a snapshot of the small but expanding body of literature on CYOA-style patient case activities in pharmacy education. CYOA-style activities are recommended for expanded use in pharmacy education as the preponderance of studies that assessed knowledge development showed significant improvement in knowledge after participation in CYOA-style activities. Additionally, students have a positive perception of CYOA-style activities and reported that they were enjoyable, improved their confidence, and helped them learn course material.

Student Experiential Activities: A Novel Strategy to Teach Neuroanatomy in Lectures

Introduction Activity-based teaching is a widely used pedagogical tool for enhancing anatomy learning. However, involving the learner in experiential activities in lectures is an unexplored area in medical research. The present study aims to determine whether incorporating student experiential activities into lectures impacts student's learning of neuroanatomy. Materials and methods We used a pre-test/post-test experimental study design to compare the learning outcome between the experiential activity based lecture and traditional lectures. We divided 150 students into control (75 students) and intervention groups (75 students). To assess the baseline knowledge on the subject, the students attended 20 clinical scenario-based multiple-choice questions two weeks before the lectures. Then, both groups attended two lecture sessions on the functional areas of the brain. In the control group, the students drew the boundaries of a particular cerebral area and labeled its function and clinical symptoms. In the intervention group, the learners participated in experiential activities while following the instructions. The lecturer used their response as a scaffold to explain the function and clinical correlation of a specific part of the cerebral cortex. The same test questions were given to the students one week after the final lecture session to evaluate their level of understanding. We analyzed the scores of 111 students (57 students in the control group and 54 students in the interventional group) who attended the two lectures and pre- and post-test sessions. Students also completed a validated 10-item feedback questionnaire regarding their perception of the teaching sessions. Results The mean score improvement for the control and intervention groups was 4.86 ± 1.53 and 6.39 ± 2.93, respectively. The score improvement of the activity group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p = 0.006; d = 0.65). The perception scores of interest, knowledge attainment, and satisfaction were significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that experiential activities facilitate better comprehension of abstract neuroanatomical concepts as compared to traditional didactic teaching.

Comparing Expectations: How Pharmacy Students View Physician Assistant and Medical Students

PURPOSE

The aim of this prospective, perception scale study was to evaluate pharmacy student expectations and perceptions of student medical providers before and after interprofessional education (IPE).

METHODS

Using pre- and postactivity surveys, the expectations and perceptions of 2 cohorts of third-year pharmacy students who worked with first-year physician assistant (PA) students and second-year medical (MD) students in an evidence-based, case-based IPE session were compared.

RESULTS

Before engaging in the interprofessional activities, the pharmacy students' (N = 131) expectations were either similar for both student provider groups or greater for MD students. However, these expectations differed significantly from postactivity perceptions. After completion of the IPE experiences, when compared with MD students, PA students were perceived as having equal or greater knowledge of patient care (60.2 vs. 12%, P < .001), demonstrating equal or superior application of evidence-based practice (46.6 vs. 5.3%, P < .001), being equally or more collaborative (54.1 vs. 10.5%, P < .001), and being equally easy or easier to work with (69.9 vs. 10.5%, P < .001).

CONCLUSION

The magnitude of shift in expectations and perceptions demonstrates the value of IPE and underscores the high caliber of PA educational standards.

Implementation of longitudinal thematic course design across four institutions

INTRODUCTION

The objective of this study was to describe thematic course design utilized in pharmacy courses at four different institutions. Best practices and lessons learned are shared.

METHODS

Four institutions independently incorporated a longitudinal Harry Potter (HP) theme into their courses. Faculty collaborated to share course experiences and determine similar concepts present at all four institutions. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze available data. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative course evaluation comments. Quantitative course evaluation data from two institutions was also analyzed.

RESULTS

Similar concepts identified as important elements of longitudinal thematic course design included creation of new groups, incorporation of thematic activities (e.g., adding HP characters to patient cases), and gamification. Qualitative analysis of student course evaluation comments found three emerging themes: increased student engagement, enjoyment of thematic course design, and appreciation for the gaming aspect. Quantitative course evaluation data demonstrated that students liked the HP theme to facilitate learning and it increased student engagement in the course.

CONCLUSIONS

A thematic course design at four institutions was well received by students and potentially increased student engagement with the course material longitudinally.

Situational judgment using ethical reasoning in Saudi undergraduate pharmacy students

Introduction

There is a paramount need for moral development for pharmacists and pharmacy students to practice the patient-centered profession. We aimed to explore the current situational judgment utilizing ethical reasoning among undergraduate pharmacy students.

Methods

A set of ten ethical dilemmas, representing potential real-life situations that the students come across in the university and may face in the future as a pharmacist were developed by a team of students, academic staff, and stakeholders. These ethical dilemmas were validated, checked for accuracy, and piloted. An online questionnaire was created consisting of these ten scenarios as open-ended questions and administered to fourth year and fifth year PharmD students in a public university located at the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, asking them how they would react in that situation. Responses of the participants were analyzed using thematic analysis independently by four researchers and inter-rater agreement were achieved through consensus.

Results

Out of 205, 186 students completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 90.7%. Analysis and resulted in the generation of 32 codes, which were then categorized into seven overarching themes: student engagement, social and professional responsibility, academic integrity, legal obligation, moral obligation, signposting, and moral engagement and patient safety.

Conclusions

Undergraduate pharmacy students experience complex state of mind in connection with ethical reasoning. The participants’ situational judgment were driven by cultural norm, authority, and responsibility. Student engagement is also affected by the state of mind and feelings of mutual trust, perceived cultural influence and peer pressure. The students were prone to seek help from university administrators or teachers when faced with situations in which they were helpless.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12910-022-00768-x.

Crossword puzzle as a learning tool to enhance learning about anticoagulant therapeutics

BACKGROUND

Educational games make the learning process more enjoyable, fun, and create a competitive classroom environment that can positively affect learning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pharmacy students' perceptions of crossword puzzles (CWPs) as a learning tool in the pharmacotherapy cardiovascular module focusing on anticoagulants' therapeutics and assessing if students' preference of learning style influenced their perception.

METHODS

Clues for the puzzle were developed, validated, and piloted by course faculty. A free internet puzzle generator was used to create puzzles with 10 to 20 clues. Students were given 30 min to solve the puzzle following six hours of didactic lectures about the topic. An 8-item survey instrument and Pharmacists' Inventory of Learning Styles (PILS) questionnaire were administered to examine students' perceptions of the game and their learning style preference, respectively.

RESULTS

Two hundred sixty-seven students participated in the activity from both undergraduate programs (BPharm and PharmD) over three consecutive course offerings. Most students expressed favorable perceptions of the puzzle. Female and BPharm students had significantly more favorable perceptions than male and PharmD students on several perception items. The dominant preferred learning style (PLS) was converger (35.6%), followed by assimilator (25.3%), while 15.1% had mixed learning styles. The study did not find a significant association between PLS and students' perceptions toward the CWP.

CONCLUSIONS

The CWP game presented an innovative, creative, and easy active learning tool to enhance information recall, retention, and class engagement while accommodating all learning style preferences.

[Engagement of students enrolled in fifth year of pharmacy studies in their academic or salaried pharmaceutical activities during the first period of lockout due to the COVID-19 pandemic (16th March-11th May 2020)]

OBJECTIVES

To characterize the engagement of students enrolled in the fifth year of pharmaceutical studies in the management of the health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify some determinants of this engagement during this period.

METHODS

With the health crisis, new missions have been entrusted during hospital internships, whereas certain internship sites were removed in hospitals and as part of the health service organization. In addition, some students who were no longer in internship returned to the hospital setting for helping in critical activities. Student engagement was studied with a questionnaire and focus groups including six or seven students in each group.

RESULTS

Forty-three students participated to the study. The answers to the questionnaire highlighted that they were engaged, that they usually did not wait for compensation, and that most of them were satisfied by their activity during the crisis. The thematic analysis demonstrated that despite a feeling of frustration, which was often associated with the interruption of rewarded activities, and despite a stress due to the particular context, student engagement was supported by a better consideration of the pharmacist's role as a professional in public health and by a better acknowledgement of this role by other health professionals.

CONCLUSION

This level of engagement is particularly encouraging because it is the witness of the ability of pharmacists to mobilize for general interest, even in adverse context.

Evaluating pharmacy faculty perceptions of empathy in education: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

Empathy is critical in building teacher-student relationships. Little research is available evaluating the empathetic capacity of faculty who teach in healthcare professional programs. This study's objectives were to describe how faculty define empathy, describe faculty perspectives on the role of empathy in pharmacy education, and discuss the potential barriers to demonstrating empathy to students.

METHODS

A qualitative research approach was utilized for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with faculty members randomly selected from an accelerated doctor of pharmacy program. All interviews were transcribed, and an interpretive phenomenological approach was used to describe, code, and analyze the experiences.

RESULTS

Results showed that faculty naturally define empathy more from an emotional aspect rather than a cognitive one. Faculty have a consensus on the role of empathy in education and believe it essential for building relationships with students and fostering positive learning environments. Further, most faculty think that empathy is an innate ability, but that empathy can be developed through life experiences and training. Significant challenges of being empathetic in educational environments are associated with the instructor, learner, and learning itself, including demanding time and energy, establishing boundaries, maintaining standards, and handling challenging students.

CONCLUSIONS

Faculty perceptions of empathy in education revealed empathetic teaching plays an essential role in building teacher-student relationships and positively impacting students' learning. Empathy is a critical skill and characteristic for healthcare profession educators to possess. The development of empathy training modules may be helpful to improve faculty's empathy.

The clinical educator's guide to fostering learner motivation: AMEE Guide No. 137

Motivation theory and research remain underused by health professions educators. Some educators say it can seem too abstract. To address this, we applied health care language to learner motivation theories. Using a familiar metaphor, we examined the indications, mechanism of action, administration, and monitoring of learner motivation interventions. Similar to the treatment monographs in medicine compendia, we summarized each motivation intervention in the form of a monograph. The purpose of this guide is for health professions educators to develop an understanding of when (i.e. indication) and how (i.e. mechanism of action) learner motivation interventions work. With this information, they can then access ready-to-implement strategies (i.e. administration) to increase their learner interest and assess the effects of these interventions (i.e. monitoring).

Strategies to Inspire Students' Engagement in Pharmacology Courses

Pharmacology is a distinct discipline and offers core knowledge to broaden student programs in the provision of health care (medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and others) as well as research-oriented programs (biosciences and biomedical). Therefore, knowledge and information on topics such as prescribing medication, drug interactions, dosage adjustments, and the correct drug dose calculation for medicine are essential for preventing and reducing medication errors, which is a key element in patient safety. Recently, many institutions have been trying to enhance their quality of teaching, as students demand support and success in their studies. Pharmacology is a highly challenging interdisciplinary topic, and requires a huge effort from both educators and students to achieve the best outcomes. Therefore, creating an effective environment to support students' learning in pharmacology courses is essential to improving students' engagement, success and learning outcomes. In recent decades, the landscape of education has changed, and distance learning has skyrocketed. This manuscript intends to discuss and highlight the importance of student engagement in higher education in pharmacology courses. Additionally, this paper spotlights and presents a review of recent studies focusing on student engagement in pharmacology courses and possible methods for enhancing and inspiring student engagement in pharmacology courses.

Use of Concept Mapping to Identify Expectations of Pharmacy Students Selecting Elective Courses

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the use of concept mapping as a method for analyzing pharmacy students’ qualitative perceptions of their expectations of elective courses and to thus help guide delivery methods and course content. A survey containing demographic, Likert scale, and open-ended questions was administered to second-year pharmacy students prior to the start of elective courses and an innovative methodology, concept mapping, was used to identify major themes relating to student expectations. The association between preferred class delivery method (online versus in person) with student gender and English-as-a-second-language status (ESL) was also assessed. Note that this study was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ninety-eight out of 133 students (74%) completed the survey. Overall, 56% students stated that they preferred online delivery of courses (68% of these students were female, 36% were male). ESL status did not impact preference. The most common themes relating to student course expectations were the desire to learn about the elective course topic as well “real-world” utility. Our combined data indicate that delivery method is a key factor contributing to students’ choice of elective course and that concept mapping is an effective and efficient way to help identify student expectations of elective courses.

Pharmacy Students Motivation, Preparation and Factors Affecting Pursuing Postgraduate Education in Ethiopian University

BACKGROUND

Pharmacy students seek postgraduate education (PGE) to develop their knowledge in a specified field of interest. Postgraduate Master's programs under the school of pharmacy in Ethiopia include clinical pharmacy, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical analysis, social pharmacy and administrative pharmacy, and pharmaceutics. This study aims to assess pharmacy student's motivation to study postgraduate programs and potential barriers to pursue postgraduate education.

METHODS

Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on regular pharmacy students of the University of Gondar. A survey was distributed to undergraduate regular pharmacy students from year one to five. PGE interested and non-interested student's difference in their characteristics was examined using chi-square. Binary Logistic regression was used to examine predictors of pursuing PGE. The study was conducted from February 1 to February 30, 2019.

RESULTS

A total of 388 pharmacy students have participated in the study. More than half 215 (55.4%) of participants were males and in the age group 22-25, 204 (52.6%). Region (p-0.007), pharmacy as a first choice (p-0.001), experience in a leadership position (p-0.002), previous pharmacy-related work experience (p-0.001), and previous attendance at the conference (p-0.001) have shown statistically significant association with interest to pursue postgraduate education.

CONCLUSION

Generally, few students rate their level of preparation and level of confidence to apply for PGE at high. Further works including preparing motivational speeches and details on admission requirements for available PGE programs have to be prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to enhance students' interest. Besides, potential development of scholarships for PGE may enhance the ability of some students to apply for PGE, who otherwise would be unable to.

Applying educational gaming success to a nonsterile compounding escape room

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Serious educational gaming success has not been replicated in a nonsterile compounding practical skill-based course. The objective of this study was to create a nonsterile compounding escape room to evaluate third-year professional pharmacy students' (1) knowledge of nonsterile compounding and (2) perceptions of educational escape room gaming utilized in nonsterile compounding.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

The escape room gaming environment used puzzles focused on advanced topics of nonsterile compounding. To evaluate students' knowledge, all participating students completed a pre-assessment and post-assessment mapped to the course objectives. To assess student perceptions of educational escape room gaming, a previously-validated, 12-item survey on student perceptions of educational escape room gaming was modified and administered at the end of the activity. Additional influencing factors such as success in the activity and previous escape room gaming experience were collected.

FINDINGS

All thirty students completed the assessments and perception survey (100% response rate). Three out of four student teams successfully escaped the room. Students' knowledge improved or stayed the same for all questions of the assessment questions. Students perceived the escape room as helpful to their learning. Students' increased knowledge and positive perception were independent of their teams' escape success.

SUMMARY

Students were actively engaged in learning during a nonsterile compounding escape room. Escape room educational games may be successfully applied to nonsterile compounding to yield increased student knowledge and positive perceptions.

Considerations When Incorporating Technology Into Classroom and Experiential Teaching

Technology and education are merging in today's society. Students in primary and secondary education recognize technology incorporated into teaching as a standard practice, not a unique experience. Curriculum standards in professional health sciences education have changed to promote the increased use of technology, with the purpose of enhancing student skills and engagement. The classroom and experiential settings offer opportunities for technology to be incorporated in a variety of ways. Technology can be useful for the teacher and student; however, challenges do exist. This paper highlights the benefits and challenges of incorporating technology into the settings of classroom and experiential teaching. Specifically, the purpose and use of technology, equipment, accessibility, time, and costs are discussed and example software programs are described.

Use of an Online Spaced-Education Game to Study Top 200 Drugs in a Skills Laboratory Course

Objective. To describe the use of an online spaced-education (SE) game to study top 200 drug information in a first-year skills laboratory course. Methods. There were 236 students enrolled in a voluntary online SE game across two semesters. Fifteen multiple-choice questions (MCQs) were sent via email in the fall and spring semesters focusing on cardiovascular and neurological agents, respectively. The online SE game delivered two questions every 2 days and re-sent questions answered incorrectly after 7 days. Two correct answers were required to retire a question. Top 200 drug knowledge was evaluated with an examination at the conclusion of each semester. Levels of engagement with the game, differences in performance on game MCQs, impact on top 200 drug examination performance, and student perceptions were evaluated. Results. There was a high level of engagement in the online SE game in both the fall (83% participation) and spring (73% participation) semesters. Participants improved the percentage of MCQs answered correctly by an average of 12% in the fall and 5% in the spring. Use of the online SE game did not significantly affect top 200 drug examination performance or retention of top 200 drug information. Students' self-efficacy to recognize brand/generic names and common indications significantly improved after use of the online SE game. Student perceptions of the game were positive. Conclusions. Use of an online SE game did not significantly affect top 200 drug examination scores despite high levels of student engagement and positive student perceptions.