Evaluation of a Teaching Assistant Program for Third-Year Pharmacy Students

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Pedagogical Training
• Medical Education

Background:

• Pharmacy students often lack formal teaching experience.
• Developing teaching skills is crucial for future educators and practitioners.
• A structured teaching assistant (TA) program can provide practical pedagogical experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a TA program on third-year pharmacy students' (PY3s) self-perceived teaching confidence.
• To compare the correlation between faculty, student, and TA self-assessment methods.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one PY3 students were selected as TAs for a Pharmaceutical Care Laboratory course over two semesters.
• Student confidence was measured using self-assessments at the program's start, midpoint, and conclusion.
• Statistical analysis was performed to compare assessment scores and identify correlations.

Main Results:

• TA participants reported a significant increase in overall teaching confidence (80.7% to 91.4%, p<0.001).
• Significant differences were observed between faculty, student, and self-assessment scores across both semesters (p=0.027 in fall, p<0.001 in spring).
• No significant correlation was found among the three different assessment methods.

Conclusions:

• The TA program effectively enhanced pharmacy students' confidence in their teaching capabilities.
• The lack of correlation across assessment methods underscores the value of incorporating multiple feedback forms for a comprehensive evaluation of teaching skills.