The impact of weekly multicourse collective exams on pharmacy student academic behaviors and learning in an integrated biological sciences course

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program curricula are typically comprised of heavy course loads and assessment burden. Typically, students "live" from exam to exam only preparing and studying for the exam directly ahead of them while neglecting concurrent courses. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the impact of weekly multicourse collective exams academic behaviors and learning in an integrated biological sciences (BSI) course within a PharmD program. Weekly multicourse exams included questions, four per credit hour, from all first semester courses that traditionally included summative exams. Seven courses contributed questions, which amounted to 15 weekly exams of ∼60 questions. No other graded assessments were given in any of the courses, other than individual course cumulative final exams; the final exams in each course were not collective. After completion of final exams, a Qualtrics survey was emailed to all students and the two professors teaching the course. Course grades, not including the final exam, were compared between two cohorts with or without the collective exams to determine impact on learning. The cumulative final exam was compared between cohorts to determine impact on retention. The majority of students agreed or strongly agreed that the weekly collective exams encouraged them to study BSI more frequently, most days of the week, reduced the likelihood of skipping class, and increased likelihood to pay attention and engage in class. The majority believed that they better learned and retained the BSI material. The majority specified that they liked the collective exams for BSI and preferred it over a traditional exam schedule. Learning also appeared to be improved. However, the impact on retention is less clear and requires further research. In conclusion, the weekly multicourse collective exams improved academic behaviors and learning.

Development and assessment of an academic performance enrichment program for low-performing, first-year pharmacy students

Pharmacy school applications have steadily declined over the past several years. Thus pharmacy schools are not only searching for effective means to increase enrollment of qualified candidates, but are also focusing on the development of programs to improve academic performance and retention of enrolled students. To address the needs of struggling first-year pharmacy students enrolled in an Integrated Biological Sciences (BSI) course, an academic performance enrichment program (APEP) was developed. The program was designed to improve academic success by engaging low-performing students with the aims of improving their time management skills, study skills, metacognition, and understanding of BSI course material. The APEP consisted of structured tutoring sessions twice per week, which were required for all students with a course grade ≤73.5% at any point during the semester. To assess program effectiveness, performance improvement on BSI exams by the APEP students were compared with that of non-APEP students in the same class and to those in the previous 3 yr. Student perceptions of the program were also evaluated via an online survey. The APEP was deemed effective in that a greater percentage of students were able to improve their exam scores and to a greater extent by attending the APEP sessions compared with non-APEP students in the same class and with low-performing students in previous years when the APEP did not exist. Furthermore, APEP students believed the program was effective in meeting its aims. In conclusion, the APEP was effective in improving academic performance of low-performing students in BSI.