Student utilization of an asynchronous learning environment to supplement on-campus course in pharmacokinetics

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Summer 2001 by Kastrissios, Helen, Engle, Janet P

Student Utilization of an Asynchronous Learning Environment to Supplement an On-Campus Course in Pharmacokinetics1

An asynchronous learning environment including informational pages, review problems and a web-based conferencing forum, was developed to supplement instruction in an on-campus course in pharmacokinetics. The purpose of this communication is to report student utilization and acceptance of the web-based resource. Ninety-five percent of current students surveyed stated that they accessed the web site during the semester. The most commonly reported purpose for access of the web site was to obtain review problems for quizzes and exams. For the majority (59 percent) of students, frequency of access was consistent with preparation prior to examinations. Overall, student feedback was positive. The majority of respondents reported that the resources facilitated their learning in the course, and 21 percent and 39 percent of students reported increased communication with instructors and other students, respectively. Interactivity in problem-solving was not a highly utilized feature. Although web-based conferencing was also not highly utilized, several students commented on its potential usefulness. Consequently, we propose to maintain and further expand the web site as a repository for review problems that can be utilized by students for exam and quiz preparation and to employ strategies to foster student participation in discussions of pharmacokinetic concepts using web-based conferencing.

BACKGROUND

Pharmacokinetics (PHAR400) is a core course offered each year to first year students entering the professional Doctor of Pharmacy program. The course requires that students synthesize physiological, pharmacological and pharmaceutical concepts in order to understand the processes that influence the fate of medications in the body. These concepts are further integrated and applied to clinical problem-solving in advanced core therapeutics courses offered in the second and third years of the program.

In the PHAR400 course, pharmacokinetic principles are presented conceptually, mathematically and graphically using a team teaching approach. In this approach, the teaching faculty consists of faculty from this institution as well as guest lecturers from other academic institutions and from industry who teach aspects of the course that are related to their field of expertise. The course material is delivered as a series of didactic lectures (two hours per week). Each lecture topic is linked to a recitation session, the format of which includes student discussion, peer teaching and independent and small group problem-solving. Students are assessed through three problem-solving quizzes and three multiple-choice examinations. Mathematical and graphical manipulations are an integral component of all quizzes and examinations.

For many students, the PHAR400 course is the first time that mathematics has been applied to describe biological processes. Thus, emphasis is placed on providing students with a rationale for the correct use of mathematical equations and to associate equations with pharmacokinetic theory so that problem-solving is less abstract.

Because students differ in their comprehension of pharmacokinetic principles, our experience has been that student demand for supplemental review materials varies substantially. In the past, we had found that delays in real-time (due to printing and distribution) and the increasing costs associated with printing of problem sets for exam review have limited how much of these materials could be provided to students in a timely manner. A solution to this problem was to establish an asynchronous learning environment, which included a repository for review materials including interactive problems, and a forum for discussion in order to facilitate student-driven self-- study.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this project was to more completely integrate classroom learning with self-study. Our goals were to develop an interactive environment to foster learning of pharmacokinetic principles and to evaluate student utilization and acceptance of the resource. The specific aims were to:

* construct a web site for the dissemination of information relevant to the PHAR400 course;

* develop a template for interactive problem-solving in pharmacokinetics;

* implement supplemental web-based tutorials, including problem sets and review questions;

* provide a forum for discussion of pharmacokinetics problems via conferencing software;

* evaluate the perceived usefulness of the web-based learning environment by surveying current students; and

* based on student feedback, determine future directions for developing web resources for the PHAR 400 course.

METHODS

Features of the Web Site

Web Site Layout. The PHAR400 web site was developed using Microsoft Front Page 982. Frames were used to divide the browser window into separate areas, each of which can display a separate scrollable page. A scrollable navigation frame, with links to the class conferencing software, WebBoard3, informational pages and review problem sets, was placed to the left of the information frame (Figure 1).