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Alfakhry G, Saymeh R, Jamous I, Alhomsi K. Gauging the learning environment at Damascus University Pharmacy School in Syria using the DREEM questionnaire: A cross-sectional study. MEDEDPUBLISH 2023; 12:60. [PMID: 38205382 PMCID: PMC10776964 DOI: 10.12688/mep.19333.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: This study was undertaken to provide the first record of evaluation of the educational environment of the Bachelor of Pharmacy program at Damascus University (DU), Syria using the internationally adopted Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) tool and compare it with other pharmacy schools around the world. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at DU Pharmacy School in 2022. The validated DREEM 50-item inventory was added to Google Forms and used to collect data electronically. River sampling and snowball sampling methods were used. Data was collected during the second term between April 2022 and June 2022. Students from all years were included. Results: A total of 269 students completed the questionnaire; that is about 6.7% of the total population. The Cronbach's alpha of the DREEM questionnaire was 0.94. The total DREEM score was 89.8±32.1/200. Senior students scored significantly less on the DREEM scale than their younger counterparts. DU Pharmacy School scored significantly less on the total DREEM score than its other counterparts around the world with a large effect size (d>0.80). All subscales scored below 50% and the lowest scoring subscales were students' perception of learning (SPL=41.8%) and students' perception of the social environment (SSP=42.5%). Conclusions: The findings implied that the educational environment is in need of major improvement, especially in areas related to teaching and learning practices and the general social environment; failure to address the current issues in the learning environment might hinder learning and clinical practice of the future generation of pharmacists. This study provides a quality improvement map which could be used preciously address the areas that need most attention at DU Pharmacy School.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghaith Alfakhry
- Education Quality and Scientific Research Office, Al-Sham Private University, Damascus, Damascus Governorate, NA, Syria
- Program of Medical Education, Syrian Virtual University, Damascus, Damascus Governorate, NA, Syria
- Faculty of Dentistry, Damascus University, Damascus, Damascus Governorate, NA, Syria
- Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, OX2 6PY, UK
| | - Rowaida Saymeh
- Department of Periodontology, Damascus University Faculty of Dentistry, Damascus, Damascus Governorate, NA, Syria
| | - Issam Jamous
- Program of Medical Education, Syrian Virtual University, Damascus, Damascus Governorate, NA, Syria
- Department of Fixed Prosthodontics, Damascus University Faculty of Dentistry, Damascus, Damascus Governorate, NA, Syria
| | - Khaled Alhomsi
- Scientific Research Office, Al-Sham Private University, Damascus, Damascus Governorate, NA, Syria
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Anis MS. In Syria, Unqualified People are Renting Pharmacists' Licenses to Open Drugstores: A Phenomenon that Threatens Public Health. Int J Public Health 2022; 67:1605224. [PMID: 36518872 PMCID: PMC9743044 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1605224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Alfakhry G, Saymeh R, Jamous I, Alhomsi K. Gauging the learning environment at Damascus University Pharmacy School in Syria using the DREEM questionnaire: A cross-sectional study. MEDEDPUBLISH 2022. [DOI: 10.12688/mep.19333.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: This study was undertaken to provide the first record of evaluation of the educational environment of the Bachelor of Pharmacy program at Damascus University (DU), Syria using the internationally adopted Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) tool and compare it with other pharmacy schools around the world. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at DU Pharmacy School in 2022. The validated DREEM 50-item inventory was added to Google Forms and used to collect data electronically. Data was collected during the second term between April 2022 and June 2022. Students from all years were included. Results: A total of 269 students completed the questionnaire. The Cronbach’s alpha of the DREEM questionnaire was 0.94. The total DREEM score was 89.8±32.1/200. DU Pharmacy School scored significantly less on the total DREEM score than its other counterparts around the world with a large effect size (d>0.80). All subscales scored below 50% and the lowest scoring subscales were students’ perception of learning (SPL=41.8%) and students’ perception of the social environment (SSP=42.5%). Conclusions: This study provides the first assessment of the learning environment at DU Pharmacy School. The findings implied that the educational environment is in need of major improvement, especially in areas related to teaching and learning practices and the general social environment; future research should focus on designing interventions that could effectively address these potential areas of improvement.
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Alkoudmani R, Hassali MA, Allela OQBA, Elkalmi R, Al-Essa RK. Acceptance of Pharmacist’s Extended Roles by other Healthcare Providers in the Arab Region: Review Article. ARCHIVES OF PHARMACY PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.51847/iho5cje9vn] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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