Pharmacy students' perceptions and satisfaction with blended instruction in quantitative chemical analysis course

Abstract

Background: Course satisfaction in blended learning has become a priority among educators to keep students on track during their studies. This study investigated the Community of Inquiry (CoI) three key components, i.e. teaching, social, and cognitive presences and other factors that affect student satisfaction at Lebanese International University (LIU). Objective: The study aimed to examine pharmacy undergraduate students who enrolled in, and the effect of blended learning courses on learning environment perceptions, learning outcomes, and overall academic performance. Methods: Exactly 283 second-year students from a private School of Pharmacy registered in the Quantitative Chemical Analysis course participated in this study. Data were collected using an online survey, assessing students' prior pre-pharmacy course experiences. Results: The majority of students (58%) commended the course content, organisation, teaching resources, course design, and clarity of directions. Course satisfaction significantly correlated with age and social, cognitive, and instructional presences (Spearman’s Rho: 0.739-0.750, p < 0.05). Discussion: Studies found that blended instruction can improve student engagement, satisfaction, and learning outcomes, which are influenced by the quality of online materials, communication, feedback, and the degree of student and instructor interaction. Conclusion: The outcomes of this study support the assumption that blended learning encourages active, in-depth, and self-directed learning.

Blended Instructional Strategies Based on Community of Inquiry Framework

“…Fifth, blended learning environments must also focus on the proper distribution of online and offline activities. Sonji et al (2023) found that the majority of students appreciated clear course content, organization, instructional resources, course design, and orientation. The design approach as well as the division between online and classroom courses were the key factors influencing the satisfaction of university students with their learning experience.…”

“…Teachers who struggle with blended courses can receive advice and encouragement from their peers about promising practices. Sonji et al (2023) also stated that a safe classroom learning climate contributes to student engagement and cognitive development. ElSayad (2023) suggested the importance of establishing a CoI framework in a blended learning environment by investigating the potential impact of the components of a community framework of inquiry on students' perceptions of learning.…”

“…Third, in terms of instructional materials and environments, research has found that blended course design requires the selection of appropriate materials integration to help students raise the point during self-directed learning (Le Roux & Nagel, 2018). Additionally, creating positive, safe, and challenging learning environments is considered important (Sonji et al, 2023). Finally, in terms of mobile applications, with the rapid development of mobile technology, more and more blended courses are adopting mobile applications to enhance interactivity and convenience.…”

Exploring Students’ Learning Experience and Engagement in Asynchronous Learning Using the Community of Inquiry Framework through Educational Design Research

“…Online chemistry learning has been reported [8], but the use of CoI in chemistry education has not been extensively reported [7,[30][31][32]. There are even fewer studies on the use of CoI in pharmacy education [33,34]. Previously, we reported students' collective perception of asynchronous lectures via the CoI framework, and the relationship with the students' learning performance [35].…”

“…With these research gaps, this study aims to extend previous studies involving Chemistry and Pharmacy courses [7,8,[30][31][32][33][34]. Additionally, the study also aims to determine whether the design features for designing asynchronous lectures can enhance students' engagement by minimizing transactional distance [28] in an asynchronous learning environment.…”