Let's 'play' with molecular pharmacology.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pharmacology
• Active Learning Strategies

Background:

• Molecular mechanisms of drug action are complex for undergraduates.
• Role-play facilitates visualization and active participation in teaching physiology.
• The efficacy of role-play in molecular pharmacology education is underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of role-play in teaching molecular pharmacology.
• To assess student acceptance of role-play as a teaching method.

Main Methods:

• An observational study guided students through a role-play on drug activity.
• Knowledge gain was measured using pre- and post-test questionnaires and normalized gain.
• Student acceptance was evaluated via Likert scales and thematic analysis of written feedback.

Main Results:

• Significant knowledge improvement was observed (P < 0.001).
• High class average normalized gain indicated effective learning.
• 93% of students found role-play an acceptable teaching method, with identified strengths and weaknesses.

Conclusions:

• Role-play is an effective and well-accepted teaching tool for molecular pharmacology.
• It can be successfully integrated into undergraduate medical curricula.