Faculty perceptions on online education in a school of pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: To determine the perception of pharmacy faculty towards online education at the School of Pharmacy at the Lebanese International University upon the sudden shift to remote education due to COVID19. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative study was conducted through a questionnaire administered to faculty members. It inquired about institutional educational changes and measured faculty perceptions towards this new educational method. Results: About 79% of the faculty responded to the survey (N = 49) and only 24.5% had previous experience with online education (N = 12). The majority (75.5%) used blended methods for course delivery (N = 37). More than half (N = 27) were generally undecided whether online learning was better or worse than normal education. More than 55% of the respondents showed high positive perceptions regarding remote education (N = 27). Conclusion: The preliminary findings reflect that faculty are still uncertain regarding the prompt educational shift to online learning, however, faculty members felt that better opportunities and enhanced experience for students may be provided through additional faculty support and training.

Experiential pharmacy education in trying times: Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic

“…An immediate transition to virtual practice experiences was warranted to prevent delays in graduation (Law et al, 2021). Distance learning is far from being a new phenomenon in higher education (Safwan et al, 2022). It is delivered via technological devices to provide various learning experiences when a physical distance exists between the students and the educators (Altwaijry et al, 2021).…”

Pharmacy students' experience of technology-enhanced learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…, 12. , 13. Many, but not all, undergraduate students are “digital natives”, meaning they are the first generation of learners that did not need to adapt to new digital technologies.…”

“…, 12. , 13. , 19 , 20 Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess pharmacy students' experience of TEL during the pandemic, with an emphasis on confidence, skills and concerns during that time.…”

Challenges and opportunities to provide immunization services: Analysis of data from a cross‐sectional study on a sample of pharmacists in a developing country

“… 16 Pharmacists can increase vaccination uptake by playing the role of an educator, facilitator, and administrator and thus improving vaccine confidence and coverage in the community. 17 , 18 …”

“…16 Pharmacists can increase vaccination uptake by playing the role of an educator, facilitator, and administrator and thus improving vaccine confidence and coverage in the community. 17,18 In the United States (US), pharmacist immunizers have verified the pursued benefits reinforcing the expansion of pharmacy practice to incorporate immunization. [19][20][21] Although they encountered challenges and several barriers to administer vaccines relating to logistics and financial resources.…”