Modification of a Pharmacokinetics Course Design to Improve Student Performance

To determine if the addition of weekly quizzes or reducing the number of faculty members teaching improved third-year (P3) pharmacy students' final grades in a clinical pharmacokinetics course. Four sections of a pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics course were divided according to the number...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of pharmaceutical education 2014-05, Vol.78 (5), p.1
Main Authors: Hughes, Gregory J, Cassagnol, Manouchkathe, Wu, Wenchen, Howland, Mary Ann, Sym, Donna, El-Chaar, Gladys M, Smith, Candace J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavioral Objectives
College students
Colleges & universities
Control Groups
Core curriculum
Course Content
Learning
Pharmaceutical Education
Pharmacy
Science education
Student attitudes
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Summary:To determine if the addition of weekly quizzes or reducing the number of faculty members teaching improved third-year (P3) pharmacy students' final grades in a clinical pharmacokinetics course. Four sections of a pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics course were divided according to the number of faculty members teaching the course and the administration of weekly quizzes. Two sections were taught by 6 faculty members and 2 were taught by 3 faculty members. Also, 1 section in each group received weekly quizzes, creating a 2-by-2 design. The performance of the 201 P3 students enrolled in the course was assessed by comparing the average of 3 examination grades while excluding quiz grades. The mean final grade of classes in which quizzes were not administered was lower than that for classes in which quizzes were administered (p=0.019). The mean final grade in classes taught by 3 faculty members vs 6 faculty members was higher, but not significantly. A positive significant correlation existed between performance in a prerequisite biopharmaceutics class and this advanced class. Making minor modifications to the delivery of a course, such as number of quizzes administered and number of faculty members teaching the course, had a positive impact on student performance. Grades in a prerequisite course may enable earlier identification of students at risk of poor performance in advanced courses.
ISSN:0002-9459
1553-6467