Guided Inquiry Learning in Pharmacology Improves Student Comprehension and Application of Material

• Published in: The FASEB journal 2020-04, Vol.34 (S1), p.1-1
• Main Authors: Pond, Brooks B., Williams, Michele H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.06277

Abstract only Process‐oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) is a student‐centered pedagogical method in which students work in small teams with the instructor acting as the facilitator. In a POGIL‐based classroom, students explore a model through guided inquiry and construct their understanding of course material. This unique teaching strategy was developed by college chemistry professors and is now employed by faculty in a variety of disciplines at the high school, college, and professional school levels. The POGIL project has been funded by the National Science Foundation, and research within the scholarship of teaching and learning field has indicated that the POGIL approach also allows for better retention of the material by students. In this study, students enrolled in the second and third years of the pharmacy curriculum at the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University were given in‐class POGIL‐based activities to learn pharmacology. In some cases, the activities completely replaced traditional lecture; in others, short lectures either proceeded or followed a POGIL activity. Topics included general anesthetics, local anesthetics, antiseizure drugs, sedatives and hypnotics, alcohol, antipsychotics, drugs used to treat obesity, thyroid and antithyroid agents, drugs utilized for erectile dysfunction, and post‐menopausal hormone replacement therapy. In the Student Assessments of Instruction, when asked to rate the following statement on a 5 point Likert scale, “In‐class group activities were helpful in my learning of the course material”, all students either selected “strongly agree” or “agree”, with the mean being a 4.8 out of 5. In addition, the ExamSoft testing software was used to examine overall student performance on exam questions in pharmacology courses utilizing traditional lecture and courses utilizing POGIL‐based activities. In ExamSoft, faculty mapped questions to levels on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Although overall performance on questions was not significantly different between professors who utilize a lecture approach and those who utilize POGIL, the performance on higher order (Comprehension and Application) questions was significantly greater when students were taught pharmacology using POGIL activities. In conclusion, the POGIL technique enhances student perception of their learning experience and may be an effective active‐learning strategy for teaching pharmacology.