Assuring Excellence in Distance Pharmaceutical Education

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2003 by Hunter, Tracy S, Deziel-Evans, Lisa, Marsh, Wallace A

Profiling successful distant students. Although institutions must provide training and create supportive learning environments, students must also accept responsibility in the learning process. Understanding the difference between memorizing information and internalizing concepts is a common problem that students face in all educational settings. To be successful, students need to assess whether they have correctly comprehended the material. If their grasp of the material is in doubt, they must proactively develop a personal learning strategy.61 Proactive strategies may include locating alternative reading material, forming study groups, or initiating direct communication with the instructors. Students may have unrealistic expectations regarding their education and not understand the increased level of self-discipline required for success in distance education formats. Institutions can address this issue by screening for self-discipline, independence, and motivation during the admission process.

The demographic profile of students who select distance education is not necessarily the same as that of traditional entry-level pharmacy students. Stereotypically, students who utilize distance technology are non-traditional, for example, older students with family obligations that restrict them geographically.68,70 Frequently, they have earned a post-secondary degree, have previous work experience, and are returning to college for career advancement. Research with successful adult distance students suggests that they are disciplined and self-directed learners.70 Although students can adapt their learning styles to succeed in a distance learning environment, those with a preference for systematic planning and with an intellectual understanding of the situation are more likely to succeed, while students preferring concrete experience and interaction with other students are less likely to succeed.15,71

The NEA reports "in contrast to stereotypes of distance learning students as older, part-time students, NEA faculty teach as many younger students as older students and as many full-time students as part-time students."47 The demographics of pharmacy students in distant education pathways are also changing as more colleges initiate distance options for entry-level students. Many of these students are similar to traditional pharmacy students.7 Our seemingly "natural" experiment of the two pathways needs to be researched to clarify the degree of substantial selection bias by students into distance education options.72 Other studies are needed to understand the differences between these two groups - those in traditional vs. those selecting or assigned to distance educational pathways - in terms of preparation, attitude, demographics, and learning outcomes.

Moving to a Distance Education Environment. It is always a challenge to prove that innovations in instructional techniques are an improvement over traditional methods. As the art of teaching evolves from the traditional face-to-face classroom setting to instructing students at a distance, instructors must assess and adapt their teaching styles. "Distance education requires new ways of thinking about teaching and learning and challenges deeply held assumptions and long-established practices."73 When space and/or time separates the instructor and students, conventional methods of learning are changed. Instructors not only need to examine and modify their teaching techniques to achieve instructional objectives at a distance, they must continuously assess achievement of learning outcomes, and keep abreast of innovations in education. A fundamental question about distributed learning was whether the conventional classroom model should be replicated in distance education. Although reproducing the face-to-face component of a traditional classroom can now be easily accomplished with videoconferencing methods, the American Council on Education states, "Distributed learning is much more than an online substitute for lectures. Distributed learning extends the opportunities for interaction between faculty and student."50 The challenge for higher education is to understand each available technology and apply it to create new and effective learning situations.