104th Annual Meeting, July 20-23, 2003, Minneapolis, Minnesota

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2003

Faculty Development Through Peer Teaching Assessment. Susan M. Paulsen, Marianne McCollum, Tom Cyr, Ralph J. Altiere, University of Colorado Health Sciences. Objectives: Develop a comprehensive peer teaching assessment system that would advance faculty development through mentoring, foster quality teaching, and diversify teaching portfolios for advancement. Methods: The assessment committee and the UCHSC Office of Education (OE) developed assessment tools based on validated models of good teaching. Faculty volunteers became assessors after OE training. Instructors scheduled for peer teaching assessment received resource material and assessment forms in advance. Co- assessors were assigned to each instructor. Peer teaching assessment process includes: (1) Request for course materials (2) Pre-observation meeting discussing the course materials and elicit instructor goals, philosophies and needs (3) Classroom activity observed. (4) Videotape of classroom activity provided to instructor for self-assessment. 5) Coassessors meet to discuss the observation 6) Postobservation interview with co-assessors and instructor, 7) Optional second observation if requested, 8) Final assessment report reviewed and signed by instructor and assessors and forwarded to department chair. Assessment tools will be included in poster. Process analysis was conducted by survey. Survey results are very positive with faculty placing a high value on the process and very high value on structured discussions about teaching. Implications: Offering a novel structured facultymentoring program to improve the "good teacher" learning curve through discussion of varied teaching strategies and experiences. Strengthening evidence of good teaching beyond student perception data and promoting school goals for outcomes based education.

Student Opinion of Effectiveness of a Longitudinal Versus an Elective Herbal Course. Susan Paulsen, Robert Page, Donald Nuzum, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Objective: Determine the effectiveness of a stand-alone herbal course versus integrating herbal material into existing courses in preparing students to answer herbal questions on clerkship rotations. Secondarily, to determine if students felt that herbal courses should be required. Methods: This curriculum offers a comprehensive herbal elective during the third year of the curriculum, as well as, herbal pharmacotherapy principals threaded throughout our pharmacotherapy/pathophysiology course series during the second and third years. Fourth year pharmacy (n=40) students currently on clerkship were surveyed. Ninetytwo percent of students agreed that the elective assisted them in answering herbal questions and improving patient care. Eighty-eight percent of students agreed that a mandatory herbal class should be offered. Forty-five percent felt that the integrated longitudinal method did not prepare them for clerkships. Seventy-eight percent received most of their herbal questions on community rotations and 50% on clinical rotations. Implications: There is increasing dependence on a pharmacist's ability to answer herbal questions. Pharmacy curricula are work intensive and additional mandatory courses must be added judiciously. Currently, 30% of Schools of Pharmacy surveyed (n=82) offer a stand-alone herbal elective, and for 13% it is required. A stand-alone herbal course enhances student's ability regarding their herbal knowledge compared to a longitudinal integrated method. Due to changes in the NABLEX exam, students may need more comprehensive, structured courses in herbal pharmacotherapy.