Perceptions of pharmacy students, faculty members, and administrators on the use of technology in the classroom

Knowledge, attitude and practice among pharmacy students and faculty members towards artificial intelligence in pharmacy practice: A multinational cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Modern patient care depends on the continuous improvement of community and clinical pharmacy services, and artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to play a key role in this evolution. Although AI has been increasingly implemented in various fields of pharmacy, little is known about the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of pharmacy students and faculty members towards this technology.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the KAP of pharmacy students and faculty members regarding AI in six countries in the Middle East as well as to identify the predictive factors behind the understanding of the principles and practical applications of AI in healthcare processes.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. A total of 875 pharmacy students and faculty members in the faculty of pharmacy in Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Libya participated in the study. Data was collected through an online electronic questionnaire. The data collected included information about socio-demographics, understanding of AI basic principles, participants' attitudes toward AI, the participants' AI practices.

RESULTS

Most participants (92.6%) reported having heard of AI technology in their practice, but only a small proportion (39.5%) had a good understanding of its concepts. The overall level of knowledge about AI among the study participants was moderate, with the mean knowledge score being 42.3 ± 21.8 out of 100 and students having a significantly higher knowledge score than faculty members. The attitude towards AI among pharmacy students and faculty members was positive, but there were still concerns about the impact of AI on job security and patient safety. Pharmacy students and faculty members had limited experience using AI tools in their practice. The majority of respondents (96.2%) believed that AI could improve patient care and pharmacy services. However, only a minority (18.6%) reported having received education or training on AI technology. High income, a strong educational level and background, and previous experience with technologies were predictors of KAP toward using AI in pharmacy practice. Finally, there was a positive correlation between knowledge about AI and attitudes towards AI as well as a significant positive correlation between AI knowledge and overall KAP scores.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that while there is a growing awareness of AI technology among pharmacy professionals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, there are still significant gaps in understanding and adopting AI in pharmacy Practice.

Technology Personalities in the Classroom: A New Classification System of TechTypes from Expert to Techy Turtle

The incorporation of technology in higher education has increased rapidly in recent years to allow for remote work and to promote active learning. Technology use could align with personality type and adopter status as defined by the diffusion of innovations theory. A review of the literature was conducted using PubMed with 106 articles found, and 2 articles meeting the inclusion criteria of the study. Search terms included "technology AND education", "pharmacy AND personality", "technology AND faculty AND personality", and "technology AND health educators AND personality". This paper highlights the current literature and introduces a new classification system to describe the technology personalities of instructors. The proposed personality types (TechTypes) include expert, budding guru, adventurer, cautious optimist, and techy turtle. Awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of each personality type-as well as one's own technology personality-may guide the selection of collaborators and tailor technology training for future growth.

Lecture Capture Is the New Standard of Practice in Pharmacy Education

The desire and need for remote access to education dramatically increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. As higher education struggles to find its "new normal," pharmacy programs have begun to review changes and approaches to decide which should be continued. This Commentary advocates that the use of lecture capture as an instructional delivery strategy, is no longer just a supplement to learning, but is now a standard of practice in health professions education. Lecture capture creates equity for students by providing additional opportunities to review material. Students may be balancing schoolwork with a job, caring for their children, or fulfilling other obligations. Lecture capture allows students to acquire information at lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy at a time that fits into their schedule, at a pace appropriate for them, and in a method that may better suit their learning needs. Students entering pharmacy school at this time have learned from audio/video media (eg, YouTube, Ted Talks, podcasts) and nontraditional educational competitors (eg, Khan Academy, Coursera, MasterClass). Students have become accustomed to learning via media technology and regularly do so in their everyday lives. Students desire lecture capture as it provides an opportunity to review unclear, complicated, or missed concepts as part of the studying process. Though its use is flexible, like any tool, lecture capture should not be used for all situations. Benefits and disadvantages of lecture capture for students, faculty, and institutions are described herein.

How Did COVID-19 Change Faculty Members' Use of Technology?

COVID-19 has caused great changes in education. Routines, practices, and especially the technologies used in teaching have differentiated at all levels of education. The purpose of this study is to determine the technologies used by faculty members for instructional purposes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and their perspectives on the use of these technologies after the end of pandemic. A close-ended questionnaire was used for gathering data in this survey research study. Participants are150 faculty members from different ages and fields. Findings indicate that, although faculty members experienced various issues (e.g., infrastructure problems, access to technology, and lack of experience in technology) while teaching through technological facilities during the pandemic, they are in favor of using tools such as WhatsApp, Google classroom, Zoom Meeting, Facebook, and e-mail after the end of pandemic due to the different facilities they provide.

A "Virtual Pharmacy Shelf" to Enhance the Rigor and Efficiency of Standardized-Patient OSCEs for Over-the-Counter Medication Advice

BACKGROUND

Realistic simulation in health professional education can be costly or cumbersome.

ACTIVITY

A low-cost, tablet-based simulated "virtual shelf" of over-the-counter (OTC) medications, hyperlinked to Drug Facts labels, eliminated use of physical product boxes or printed drug lists in objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) for Doctor of Pharmacy students learning to provide OTC advice.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The application reduced instructor preparation and OSCE administration time by allowing students to tap product options instead of thumbing through medication lists. The shelf is realistic, easily updated, and transferable to other OSCEs when visual recognition is important or treatment options change frequently.

Students' perceptions of computer-based testing using ExamSoft

INTRODUCTION

In fall 2017, West Coast University School of Pharmacy implemented ExamSoft for testing. Three courses in each didactic year employed ExamSoft. Prior to this, courses had Scantron-based exams. We surveyed the students to assess their perception of ExamSoft. We hypothesized that students' inherent bias towards technology affected their perception of ExamSoft.

METHODS

To assess this hypothesis, we conducted a survey of all students. The survey contained questions about comfort with technology and nine questions on students' perceptions of ExamSoft and its usefulness.

RESULTS

The survey responses were stratified according to the preference of respondents towards technology and its use in exams. Respondents were stratified into three groups: tech-embracers, tech-skeptics, and neutral. Our results showed that respondents classified as tech-skeptics tended to have a more negative view of ExamSoft and its perceived impact on their grades than students stratified as tech-embracers or neutral.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggests that students' inherent bias towards technology plays an important role in their perception of computer-based testing. Assessing incoming students' comfort with technology and student orientation activities to help acquaint students with new technology could help improve their acceptance of educational technology used for testing.

Evaluating the use of informational technologies by students of healthcare colleges for academic purposes over a five-year period

This study aimed to assess the extent to which healthcare students use five informational technologies for daily academic purposes and to examine the changes in student perceptions toward these technologies over five years. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study in 10 different colleges in seven governorates. We conducted a survey using the instruments developed from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The surveys were administered to convenience samples of students at the colleges of pharmacy, medicine, and dentistry in the participating universities. The survey was conducted three times over three different years: 2015, 2018, 2020. Five Information and Communication Technology components were included in the study: electronic course management (ECM), internet, computer, audio recording/commentary, and PowerPoint slides. The surveys were electronic and administered using Qualtrics Survey Software. For most respondents, the survey links were administered electronically via Facebook groups to convenience samples of students of the Bachelor programs. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to measure the difference among the three (years) surveys results. The multiple linear regression analysis was used to measure the associations between the five predictors of the TAM and the outcome variable (actual use of technology). There was a total of 3,113 valid surveys collected in 2015, 2018, and 2020. Nearly two thirds of participants were females. Most students did not have enough experience in using ECM before classes closure in March 2020. Lack of facilitating conditions and infrastructures like an expert technical support team and stable internet connections are negatively impacting students' acceptance of technology use in education. Moving from mainly face-to-face learning with partial electronic use in 2015 and 2018 to totally virtual learning in 2020 had a negative impact on the perceptions of healthcare college students of the five technologies across the five TAM domains (perceived usefulness, facilitating condition, ease of use, attitude toward use, intention to use) and the actual use of these technologies. The TAM successfully explained the factors influencing the actual use of technologies by healthcare college students. Continuing technical support and training can reduce students' electronic challenges. Technical status assessment needs to be done at the beginning, mid and end of the semester to evaluate the technical challenges facing students in online learning. The study tools are internationally adoptable to evaluate the student perceptions of the ICT implementation for research and academic annual assessment purposes.

Acceptance of productivity software as a course management and collaboration tool among student pharmacists

INTRODUCTION

The acceleration and availability of digital tools has fundamentally changed the classroom environment, making selecting the correct tools an increasingly important function for instructors. To assist educators seeking to introduce such tools into the classroom, this research describes the acceptance of productivity software as a pharmacy management course and collaboration tool by second-year student pharmacists.

METHODS

A mixed methods approach assessed student pharmacists' acceptance and use of a cloud-based, productivity platform. All students were provided with Evernote Business to manage group-based assignments, facilitate team-based projects, and store course materials. Students were surveyed at three time points throughout the semester using a validated instrument based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Software acceptance and applicability were assessed across time points and structural equation modeling determined UTAUT model fit. Focus groups provided direct student feedback guided by UTAUT.

RESULTS

Baseline technology acceptance was lower for Evernote than Blackboard. Effort expectancy and attitudes toward technology improved in three of four items each for Evernote and anxiety toward using the new software declined from baseline. Model fit was not ideal, suggesting similar conditions for acceptance of either platform and performance expectancy may not significantly predict intention to use. Student feedback suggested that acceptance may be improved if software has college-wide buy-in and was required.

CONCLUSIONS

Introducing productivity software in the middle of the curriculum is not ideal, but could be impactful if provided earlier, integrated with existing systems, and aligned with observed students' learning needs.

Facilitation of a multisite student topic discussion series using web-based conferencing technology

INTRODUCTION

While technology's use and impact in the classroom setting is well-documented in literature, use during experiential education is less defined. Our objectives were to assess the change in clinical knowledge and application skills following a multisite topic discussion (TD) series using web-based conferencing technology during ambulatory care advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) and to assess student perceptions of learning through use of this modality.

METHODS

A multisite TD series was created using web-based conferencing technology for students assigned to a clinical faculty member's ambulatory care APPE. Five topic discussions were conducted during each five-week rotation block covering disease states integral to ambulatory care practice. Pre- and post-assessments were administered to assess student learning and a survey was administered to assess student perceptions of learning.

RESULTS

A total of 151 students were invited to participate in the study with 114 (75.5%) included in the final analysis. Overall student performance improved significantly from 53.3 ± 12.7% on the pre-assessment to 65.8 ± 14.3% on the post-assessment, with student performance on the post-assessment improving significantly in all topic areas. Students perceived that the TD series enhanced their learning and ability to apply clinical information while creating an online learning community.

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of a multisite TD series using web-based conferencing technology successfully enhanced student knowledge. Student perceptions of this new web-based learning community were positive overall, despite some technological limitations. The results of this study support the use of web-based conferencing technology to enhance student learning during APPEs.

Implementation and evaluation of problem-based video podcasts in an introductory pharmacokinetics course

INTRODUCTION

The use of problem-based video podcasts in health sciences education is limited. Principles of Pharmacokinetics is an introductory course that establishes a foundation for understanding pharmacokinetic concepts. The primary objective was to determine the impact of problem-based video podcasts in an introductory pharmacokinetics course on student learning.

METHODS

Problem-based video podcasts were implemented in an introductory pharmacokinetics course in spring 2015. Student pharmacists in the first professional year enrolled in the course during spring 2015, 2016, and 2017 were included in the study with students enrolled in the course in spring 2014 serving as the control group. The primary outcome was the impact of problem-based video podcasts on student learning as assessed by student performance on the final exam. Other outcomes included student utilization of the video podcasts, overall course grades, and student perceptions of learning using video podcasts.

RESULTS

A total of 633 students in four academic years were included for analysis. Final exam scores were significantly higher in spring 2015 and 2016 compared to 2014. The 2017 final exam scores were similar to the final exam scores in 2014. Students perceived the problem-based video podcasts enhanced their ability to apply concepts to a patient case, reinforced concepts from lectures, and improved their understanding of clinical pharmacokinetics.

CONCLUSION

The use of problem-based video podcasts is an innovative method to augment learning outside of the traditional class time and may enhance learning without replacing direct instructor-student contact. Students reported the video podcasts improved their understanding of clinical pharmacokinetics.

A systematic review of audience response systems in pharmacy education

BACKGROUND

Audience response systems (ARS) are increasingly being used to support learning and assessment. Despite widespread use, the effects on educational outcomes and student learning are largely unknown. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the impacts of using ARS in pharmacy education.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and three pharmacy education journals. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they reported outcomes relating to the use of ARS in student pharmacist education and were published in English.

RESULTS

Eleven studies were included. Endpoints related to course grades, information recall, student perceptions, and faculty perceptions. Few studies were identified that assessed the impact of ARS on course grades and those that did reported mixed results. ARS demonstrated improved student recall immediately following an educational activity but effects were not lasting. Students had positive perceptions regarding ARS classroom use, especially for participation, engagement, and attention to educational content. Faculty members were positive towards the use of ARS for teaching purposes but expressed concerns regarding the use for assessment.

IMPLICATIONS

The use of ARS positively benefited student participation and engagement in the classroom setting, as a tool to enhance active learning. Positive perceptions from faculty and feasibility of use also support that ARS may be an effective teaching strategy to better engage students in the learning process. The impact on student academic performance is inconclusive and must be further explored.

Effect of Live Attendance and Video Capture Viewing on Student Examination Performance

Objective. To compare pharmacy students' performance in a therapeutics course after attending live lectures and/or viewing video-recorded lectures. Methods. Attendance was taken during seven lectures spaced equally throughout the therapeutics course. Data on students' viewing of the video-recorded lectures was extracted. Students were grouped based on class attendance and video-viewing behavior; these data were correlated to student performance on examination lecture specific material. The data were also evaluated based on students' final course grade. Results. From each lecture for which data were collected, between 346 and 349 students were included in the analysis, resulting in 2,430 data points. Students who were attended lecture and did not access the video-recorded lecture were associated with better performance on the respective examination than students who were absent and accessed the video-recorded lecture only once (grade=71.0 vs 62.3). Students who attended lecture, regardless of whether they subsequently viewed the video online, were associated with better performance on the examination than students who were absent (70.4 vs 64.0). Among all students who attended lecture, those that also used the video-recorded lecture were associated with similar performance on the examination as those who did not access the video (grade=69.1 vs 71.0). Conclusion. Results from this pilot study demonstrated that live class attendance was associated with higher examination performance than viewing recorded lectures for a therapeutics class. The results of this pilot study can be used to guide future research in understanding how teaching methods affect student performance.

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.

Technology to enhance in-class discussions and student participation at a multi-campus program

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implementation of a novel approach to using technology in a class taught from a satellite campus via synchronous video teleconferencing and its impact on student participation.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

A wiki platform was blended with an audience response system and implemented during a one-hour class period. Students provided answers to open-ended discussion questions on the audience-response wiki page. The instructor read responses aloud as they were added, and provided explanation and immediate feedback on each response.

FINDINGS

There were 136 second year student pharmacists enrolled in the class, and 41 (30.15%) students contributed to the audience response wiki during the in-class discussion. The combined four discussion questions had a total of 86 responses, which indicates that some students participated more than once. There are five accepted types of student interaction in distance education, and the audience-response wiki addressed each of them. Additionally, it addressed many barriers to in-class discussion for students on a distance campus including microphone anxiety and fear of interrupting a peer on another campus. Beyond enhanced student participation, it allowed the instructor to provide immediate feedback on a higher volume of student responses.

SUMMARY

Audience response wiki tools are free, easy to use, and allow students across multiple campuses to overcome barriers associated in-class discussion.

The use of Socrative and Yammer online tools to promote interactive learning in pharmacy education

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Engagement of students in the didactic classroom setting restricts students' time spent towards active learning, which in turn, adversely affects the retention of concepts taught through traditional teaching methods. Thus, interactive learning is used as an alternative to engage students in the classroom and to enrich their learning experience. Integrating interactive learning activities has been shown to facilitate student learning and improve the learning outcomes. The objectives of this study are to assess the perceptions of students on the benefits and appropriateness of using online tools (e.g., Socrative and Yammer) to promote interaction of students with the instructor and other students in the classroom setting.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

Students enrolled in the second and third professional years of the bachelor of pharmacy program at Qatar University were introduced to various interactive learning tools in two Pharmaceutical Sciences courses. Students were then surveyed to assess their perceptions about the benefits and appropriateness of the respective interactive learning tools introduced in the courses.

FINDINGS

Our survey results indicate that the students are in favor of using online educational tools and believe that the use of interactive learning tools enhances their learning experience.

SUMMARY

Pharmacy students at Qatar University perceive that the incorporation of online technology in Pharmaceutical Sciences courses enhances interactive learning in the classroom setting.

Development of a student-driven information technology support service

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To share our experience of a partnership created amongst students, staff, and faculty in order to address a gap in campus information technology (IT) customer services provided to students.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

Student reliance on a complex educational technology ecosystem requires a robust IT infrastructure; however, campus IT services are often stretched in terms of their capacity to deliver immediate customer support. Compounding this problem is the inability of campus IT services to address issues arising from pharmacy education specific hardware or software. A student help desk (SHD), a student-initiated technology user group was developed. The support provided by the SHD covers student devices to the level of ensuring access to required curriculum technological resources.

FINDINGS

Over 24 months, a total of 259 cases were addressed by the SHD. When examining the type of submissions, the top five requested categories included computer-based assessment, e-mail synchronization, curricular management software synchronization, wireless printing and encryption. These results suggest the perceived value and confidence by students and faculty in the service provided by the SHD.

SUMMARY

The use of a SHD helped to resolve technology issues faced by students for curriculum engagement. Regardless of the challenges institutions may face in delivering their curriculum, students have the desire to be engaged in the governance of their curriculum. By creating a collaborative triad, this represents one example of how student motivation can be leveraged to conquer not just gaps in IT customer service, but potentially other programmatic issues within an institution.

Innovative Approaches to Teaching Dyslipidemia Management in a Required Pharmacy Therapeutics Sequence

Objective. To describe a novel design on teaching dyslipidemia management that would help students compare and apply past and current clinical recommendations using a variety of new mechanisms. Methods. Didactic time consisted of three sections: lecture; faculty-led panel discussion; and interactive, progressive, student-driven patient case. The accompanying case studies course involved varying interactive student activities, including literature review, adverse event reporting, and immediate feedback assessment tools. Results. Students performed well on audience response questions, dyslipidemia examination questions, and in-class case studies activities. Subjective student and faculty feedback were positive for the entire innovation. Conclusion. The redesigned dyslipidemia module gives students exposure to overall management of this disease state through several innovative approaches that can be repeated in other courses to enhance learning.

Appraising the role of the virtual patient for therapeutics health education

BACKGROUND

Face-to-face instruction, paper-based case-studies and clinical placements remain the most commonly used teaching methods for therapeutics curricula. Presenting clinical content in a didactic manner presents challenges in engaging learners and developing their clinical reasoning skills which may be overcome by inclusion of the virtual patient (VP). Currently there is limited literature examining the use of the VP in therapeutics teaching and learning. This review aimed to determine the role of VPs in therapeutics education, specifically the impact on student experiences, performance, and clinical skills.

METHODS

A search of primary literature was conducted with search terms including virtual patient, education, health, AND learning. Boolean operators were applied to include studies from health relevant fields with article titles and abstracts vetted.

RESULTS

Nine of the 21 included studies were control-matched, and all but one compared VPs to traditional teaching. VPs enhanced the learning experience in all 17 studies that measured this outcome. Fourteen studies measured performance and clinical skills and 12 found VPs were beneficial, while two did not. The VP was not superior to traditional teaching in all studies, but the VP appeared beneficial to the student learning experience. Discrepancy was found between the impact of VPs on short- and long-term knowledge.

IMPLICATIONS

The VP appears to enhance the student learning experience and has a role in therapeutics education, however a blended-learning (BL) approach may be required to account for individual learning styles. Additional investigation is required to clarify the efficacy of the VP, particularly as a component of BL, on longer-term knowledge retention.

Student perceptions of digital badges in a drug information and literature evaluation course

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The purpose of this article is to describe student perceptions of implementation of digital badges in a drug information and literature evaluation course.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

Two digital badges were developed as voluntary learning opportunities. Student perceptions were obtained through pre- and post-survey instruments consisting of selected questions from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire.

FINDINGS

The response rate was 69% (106/153). At baseline, 53% of respondents agreed that digital badges could help them better understand course material. More students agreed they would share earned digital badges on LinkedIn (68%) than Facebook (19%). Most students who earned digital badges agreed that badges helped increase their confidence in course material (73%), focus on specific learning objectives (55%), look deeper into course competencies (64%), and were a useful adjunct to the traditional teaching method (82%).

DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY

Digital badges were perceived by students as a positive adjunct to learning and may provide a novel mechanism for development of an electronic skills-based portfolio.

Educating medical residents through podcasts developed by PharmD students

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Podcasts are increasingly popular in education due to their accessibility, portability, and scheduling flexibility. Pharmacy students often interact with resident physicians during advanced pharmacy practice experiences, but few studies have evaluated their ability to teach medical residents about pharmacotherapy concepts or how these interactions might impact their own development. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of pharmacy student-created podcasts in two areas: the ability to increase medical resident understanding of selected medical topics and the effect on the pharmacy student's confidence in teaching.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

Eight fourth-year pharmacy students created enhanced podcasts and assessment questions on a medical topic. The assessment questions were split randomly into pre- and post-podcast assessments to be given to residents. The assessment quizzes and podcast comprised content modules that were delivered to consenting medical residents at two week intervals. Pharmacy student confidence was evaluated with pre- and post-experience surveys, which were administered before they created the podcast and after they viewed the aggregate results of resident assessments of their podcast.

FINDINGS

Overall, 79.3% (23/29) of residents participated with an average of 44% participation on each module. Resident knowledge increased as evidenced by the overall aggregate score, significantly improving from 36% prior to podcasts to 76% following podcasts (p=0.001). When rated on a 1-10 scale, average pharmacy student confidence in teaching their topic also significantly increased from 5.63 to 8.00 (p=0.041).

SUMMARY

Podcasts are an effective method for medical residents to learn from pharmacy students and may also improve pharmacy students' confidence in their abilities.

Exploring Electronic Communication Modes Between Iraqi Faculty and Students of Pharmacy Schools Using the Technology Acceptance Model

Objective. To explore for the first time the extent to which Iraqi pharmacy students and faculty use Facebook and university email for academic communications, and to examine factors influencing utilization within the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Methods. An electronic survey was administered to convenience samples of students and faculty of six Iraqi public schools and colleges of pharmacy in 2015. Results. Responses included 489 student and 128 faculty usable surveys. Both students and faculty use Facebook more than university email for academic communications. Less than a third of the faculty used university email. Students used Facebook for academic purposes twice as much as faculty. Conclusion. Absence of university email in Iraqi schools and colleges of pharmacy makes Facebook essential for faculty-student communications. The majority (71.1% to 82%) of respondents perceived that Facebook was easy to use. Three TAM variables (intention to use, attitude toward use and perceived usefulness) had significant positive associations with actual use of both Facebook messaging and university email.

Impact of Flipped Classroom Design on Student Performance and Perceptions in a Pharmacotherapy Course

Objective. To determine whether a flipped classroom design would improve student performance and perceptions of the learning experience compared to traditional lecture course design in a required pharmacotherapy course for second-year pharmacy students. Design. Students viewed short online videos about the foundational concepts and answered self-assessment questions prior to face-to-face sessions involving patient case discussions. Assessment. Pretest/posttest and precourse/postcourse surveys evaluated students' short-term knowledge retention and perceptions before and after the redesigned course. The final grades improved after the redesign. Mean scores on the posttest improved from the pretest. Postcourse survey showed 88% of students were satisfied with the redesign. Students reported that they appreciated the flexibility of video viewing and knowledge application during case discussions but some also struggled with time requirements of the course. Conclusion. The redesigned course improved student test performance and perceptions of the learning experience during the first year of implementation.

Gaming Preferences, Motivations, and Experiences of Pharmacy Students in Asia

OBJECTIVE

Serious games are becoming popular in various healthcare domains. However, they should be designed to cater toward learners' perspectives, needs, and specifications in order to be used to their full potential in education. This study investigated the gaming experiences, motivations, and preferences of pharmacy students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An anonymous self-administered survey obtained participant demographics, gaming experiences (enjoyment level of different game genres, years of experience, gaming frequency and duration, and motivations), and gaming preferences (on in-game rewards, settings, storylines, perspectives, and styles). Descriptive statistics, t tests, analysis of variance, chi-squared tests, and Fisher's exact tests were used for analysis.

RESULTS

The response rate was 69.1 percent (465/673 undergraduates). Role-playing games (RPGs) (4.12 ± 1.07) and massively multiplayer online RPGs (MMORPGs) (3.81 ± 1.26) had the highest enjoyment ratings. Males enjoyed imagination games (e.g., RPGs, MMORPGs) more than females, whereas females enjoyed simulation games more. Top motivating factors for respondents were progressing to the next level (3.63 ± 1.19), excitement (3.33 ± 1.33), and a feeling of efficacy when playing (3.02 ± 1.16). Unlocking mechanisms (25.2 percent) and experience points (17.6 percent) were the most popular in-game reward systems. Most respondents preferred a fantasy/medieval/mythic setting (59.8 percent) and an adventurer storyline (41.3 percent), with similar proportions preferring competitive (35.3 percent), cooperative (33.3 percent), and collaborative (30.8 percent) game styles.

CONCLUSIONS

Different groups of pharmacy students differ in their gaming experiences, motivating factors, and preferences. There is no "one size fits all" game that is suitable for all pharmacy education. Such differences should be considered when developing a pharmacy game in order to cater to the diverse student population.

Effectiveness of educational technology to improve patient care in pharmacy curricula

A review of the literature on the effectiveness of educational technologies to teach patient care skills to pharmacy students was conducted. Nineteen articles met inclusion criteria for the review. Seven of the articles included computer-aided instruction, 4 utilized human-patient simulation, 1 used both computer-aided instruction and human-patient simulation, and 7 utilized virtual patients. Educational technology was employed with more than 2700 students at 12 colleges and schools of pharmacy in courses including pharmacotherapeutics, skills and patient care laboratories, drug diversion, and advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) orientation. Students who learned by means of human-patient simulation and virtual patients reported enjoying the learning activity, whereas the results with computer-aided instruction were mixed. Moreover, the effect on learning was significant in the human-patient simulation and virtual patient studies, while conflicting data emerged on the effectiveness of computer-aided instruction.

A Faculty Toolkit for Formative Assessment in Pharmacy Education

This paper aims to increase understanding and appreciation of formative assessment and its role in improving student outcomes and the instructional process, while educating faculty on formative techniques readily adaptable to various educational settings. Included are a definition of formative assessment and the distinction between formative and summative assessment. Various formative assessment strategies to evaluate student learning in classroom, laboratory, experiential, and interprofessional education settings are discussed. The role of reflective writing and portfolios, as well as the role of technology in formative assessment, are described. The paper also offers advice for formative assessment of faculty teaching. In conclusion, the authors emphasize the importance of creating a culture of assessment that embraces the concept of 360-degree assessment in both the development of a student's ability to demonstrate achievement of educational outcomes and a faculty member's ability to become an effective educator.

Use of virtual patients in an advanced therapeutics pharmacy course to promote active, patient-centered learning

OBJECTIVE

To assess student satisfaction and learning of course objectives following the integration of virtual patient cases designed to promote active, patient-centered learning in an advanced therapeutics pharmacy course.

DESIGN

A dynamic virtual patient platform that incorporated a branched-narrative, decision-making teaching model was used in an advanced therapeutics course to supplement lecture content.

ASSESSMENT

Presimulation and postsimulation tests were used to assess student learning. The use of virtual patients significantly enhanced student learning for both higher- and lower-level test questions (p<0.001 and p=0.01, respectively). Students agreed or strongly agreed that the virtual patient cases provided an effective way to learn (72%), were enjoyable (69%), and were appropriate in content (80%), and that more should be incorporated (59%).

CONCLUSION

The use of virtual patients in an advanced therapeutics practicum effectively promoted active, patient-centered learning; engaged students in an interactive and dynamic educational technology; encouraged teamwork; enhanced higher-level student learning; and improved student satisfaction in the course.

A reflective teaching challenge to motivate educational innovation

OBJECTIVE

To describe a teaching challenge intended to increase faculty use of evidence-based and student-centered instructional strategies in the demanding school of pharmacy context with technology-savvy students.

DESIGN

A teaching challenge was created that required faculty members to incorporate a "new-to-you" innovative teaching method in a class, course, or experiential activity. The method was linked to at least 1 of 7 evidence-based principles for effective teaching. Faculty members were exposed to colleagues' teaching strategies via brief voluntary presentations at department meetings.

ASSESSMENT

A post-challenge survey provided assessment data about the challenge. Responses to a baseline survey provided additional information about what faculty members were already doing (52% response rate). Eighty-one percent of faculty respondents completed the challenge. A wide array of new strategies (13 categories such as flipped classrooms and social media) was implemented and 75% included the use of technology. Nearly all respondents (96%) thought that participation in the challenge was worth the effort and planned to participate again the following year. All faculty members intended to continue using their new strategy and 56% planned additional modifications with future implementations. The challenge demonstrated how multiple goals of curricular improvement, faculty development, and student-centered instruction could be achieved together.

CONCLUSION

The teaching challenge motivated most of the faculty members to try something new to them. Links between evidence-based principles and day-to-day activities were strengthened. The new-to-you design placed the challenge within reach of faculty members regardless of their background, subject, or experience.

Student and faculty member perspectives on lecture capture in pharmacy education

OBJECTIVES

To examine faculty members' and students' use and perceptions of lecture recordings in a previously implemented lecture-capture initiative.

METHODS

Patterns of using lecture recordings were determined from software analytics, and surveys were conducted to determine awareness and usage, effect on attendance and other behaviors, and learning impact.

RESULTS

Most students and faculty members were aware of and appreciated the recordings. Students' patterns of use changed as the novelty wore off. Students felt that the recordings enhanced their learning, improved their in-class engagement, and had little effect on their attendance. Faculty members saw little difference in students' grades or in-class engagement but noted increased absenteeism.

CONCLUSION

Students made appropriate use of recordings to support their learning, but faculty members generally did not make active educational use of the recordings. Further investigation is needed to understand the effects of lecture recordings on attendance. Professional development activities for both students and faculty members would help maximize the learning benefits of the recordings.