Transforming a Large-Class Lecture Course to a Smaller-Group Interactive Course

Abstract

Objective. To transition a large pharmacokinetics course that was delivered using a traditional lecture format into a smaller-group course with a discussion format.Design. An e-book and Web-based multimedia learning modules were utilized to facilitate students' independent learning which allowed the number of classes they were required to attend to be reduced from 3 to 1 per week. Students were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 weekly class sessions. The majority of lecture time was replaced with active-learning activities including discussion, problem solving, and case studies to encourage higher-order learning. Assessment. Changes in course delivery were assessed over a 4-year period by comparing students' grades and satisfaction ratings on course evaluations. Although student satisfaction with the course did not improve significantly, students preferred the smaller-group setting to a large lecture-based class. The resources and activities designed to shift responsibility for learning to the students did not affect examination grades even though a larger portion of examination questions focused on higher orders of learning (eg, application) in the smaller-group format.Conclusions. Transitioning to a smaller-group discussion format is possible in a pharmacokinetics course by increasing student accountability for acquiring factual content outside of the classroom. Students favored the smaller-class format over a large lecture-based class.

Student Perceptions of a Flipped Pharmacotherapy Course

“…The previously reported successful implementations of the flipped model of a full-course were for basic science courses, not pharmacotherapy courses. 22,24 Furthermore, the basic science courses used video lectures or narrated animations, not text-based modules for the preclass learning. Finally, those courses had one primary instructor, with some guest lecturers, whereas the course described in this paper was team-taught, with 10 instructors having roughly an equal share of teaching responsibility.…”

“…Finally, the school is undergoing curricular and pedagogical change, and this particular cohort of students has been exposed to a variety of course redesigns. 22,24,27 The cumulative effect of these experiences, all designed with genuine interest in improving student learning, likely impacted student perceptions of various teaching and learning approaches.…”

“…[17][18][19][20][21] There are a number of successful implementations of the flipped course model in pharmacy education as well. [22][23][24] The flipped model is student-centered, treating each student as an independent and self-directed learner. Selfdirected learning outside the classroom and active engagement of students in higher orders of thinking and problem solving inside the classroom define the new doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Eshelman School of Pharmacy.…”

“…25 While the new curriculum was not implemented until fall 2015, this approach to course redesign (ie, the flipped model) was incorporated in a number of courses in the curriculum before then. 22,24,26,27 The transition started with pharmaceutical science courses (eg, basic pharmaceutics), resulting in improved learning outcomes and student perceptions. 24 This success stimulated interest in flipping other courses in the curriculum, notably pharmacotherapy.…”

The Impact of Team-Based Learning on a Foundational Pharmacokinetics Course

“…1 In a previous course design, students prepared before class, their class time was used for discussion of important concepts in a recitation-type approach. This approach used smaller groups (ie, groups of no more than 50 students) attending class only once a week instead of the more traditional format of the full cohort attending class 3 times a week.…”