Pharmacists must utilize knowledge, evidence-based medicine, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking to fulfill their duties. All pharmacists are educators and must be able to communicate complex ideas to various audiences, including pharmacists, physicians, patients, and the public.
Active learning strategies may facilitate a student’s ability in selected areas, but few can provide the environment necessary to cultivate multiple areas simultaneously.
Learner-generated content has been utilized in various science and healthcare education settings, but has been limited to examples and practice assessment items as a supplement to the normal coursework. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Determine the potential of a course format using Learner-Generated content by giving the students the ability to become content experts and allowing them to educate their peers on various topics related to Emergency Preparedness.
- Provide an environment that will promote student engagement, exploration, and enable them to build on their skills in written and verbal communication, evidence-based medicine, problem solving, and critical thinking while promoting student responsibility for self-directed lifelong learning.
An elective course, Emergency Preparedness: Beyond the Zombie Apocalypse, has been offered for 3 years using a format that employs learner-generated content.
The course objectives are:
- Describe the processes involved in responding to emergency situations at the local, state, and national level.
- Recognize the pathophysiology, microbiology, and/or toxicology associated with various emergency situations (i.e. bioterrorism, chemical or radiation)
- Be able to identify appropriate pharmacotherapy, including antidotes, for various emergency situations (i.e. atropine for organophosphates, ciprofloxacin for anthrax)
- Given an emergency situation, be able to retrieve the information necessary to appropriately respond and treat victims effectively.
- Course participation has resulted in 59 students over 3 years
- Course evaluation data is available for 41 students (69.5% response rate overall)
- Using a course format that requires learner-generated content is an effective strategy for student learning and provides a high level of learner satisfaction.
- Learner-generated content formats can facilitate accomplishment of several subdomains of the 2016 ACPE Standards and incorporates a high level of active learning for the students
- Standard 1: Foundational Knowledge – Students gain foundational knowledge through development of their own presentations and from the presentations of their peers
- Standard 2: Essentials for Practice and Care – Each topic presented covers patient care, community health and wellness, and the dissemination of resources during an emergency
- Standard 3: Approach to Practice and Care – Students are required to engage in complicated situations, identify and solve problems, and educate their peers by effectively communicating information (written and verbal)
- Standard 4: Personal and Professional Development – Students develop self-awareness and leadership skills as a natural result of participating in this course format
- Schullo-Feulner A, Janke KK, Chapman SA, et al. Student-generated, faculty-vetted multiple choice questions: Value, participant satisfaction, and workload. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching & Learning. 2014;6:15-21.
- Pittenger AL, Lounsbery JL. Student-Generated Questions to Assess Learning in an online orientation to pharmacy course. Am J Pharm Educ. 2011 Jun 10;75(5):94.
- Windle R, Laverty H, et al. Nursing students can teach their peers by developing e-learning resources. Learning Disability Practice. 2010; 13:26-9.
- Doubleday AF, Wille SJ. We are what we do: examining learner-generated content in the anatomy laboratory through the lens of activity theory. Anat Sci Educ. 2014 Sep-Oct; 7(5):361-9.
- Lee MJW, McLoughlin C. Teaching and Learning in the Web 2.0 era: Empowering students through learner-generated content. Int J Instr Tech Dist Learn. 2007; 4:21-34.
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Accreditation Standards and Key Elements for the Professional Program in Pharmacy Leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree. (https://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdf/Standards2016FINAL.pdf) Published 2 Feb 2015; Accessed 7 July 2015.
Selected Course Evaluations Questions |
Scale: 5 – Strongly Agree; 4 – Agree; 3 – Neutral; 2-Disagree; 1-Strongly Disagree |
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Assignments helped me learn the material | | |
I have become more competent in this area due to the course | | |
Technology use was effective in supporting my learning | | |
There were opportunities to interact regularly with other students in this class | | |
The instructor engaged students via activities and/or discussion | | |
Template-This Is a Placeholder Title to Show What a Title Should Look Like�When It Is Done In Sentence Case and Spans Two Lines�Petrov, K., PharmD, BCPS;1 Ihongbe, F., Pharm.D. Candidate;1 Chang, M., PharmD, BCPS;2 Choudhary, S., MD2
1 Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, Shenandoah University, Ashburn, Virginia 2 INOVA Loudoun Hospital, Leesburg, Virginia