Using Continuing Professional Development with Portfolio in a Pharmaceutics Course.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Continuing Professional Development

Background:

• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is crucial for maintaining pharmacy competency but faces resistance.
• Integrating CPD with portfolio assessment in a university setting was explored to address these barriers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of incorporating Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with portfolio assessment in a university Pharmaceutics course.
• To foster higher-level learning skills, including critical thinking, self-reflection, and self-evaluation, for future self-directed learning.

Main Methods:

• A flipped classroom approach was used for foundational knowledge delivery.
• Students applied the CPD model to clinical scenarios in a simulated pharmacy setting, producing portfolio items for assessment.
• The CPD cycle was repeatedly applied to develop critical thinking and self-evaluation skills.

Main Results:

• Thirty-six students completed portfolios, with 29 achieving >70%.
• Student surveys indicated that 54% found portfolio development effective for self-learning, despite 40% finding it challenging.
• Some students struggled to differentiate between "reflection" and "evaluation" within the CPD process.

Conclusions:

• CPD with portfolio assessment can be an effective tool for enhancing self-learning and critical thinking in pharmacy students.
• Clearer, simpler language is recommended for explaining reflection and evaluation processes in future CPD initiatives.
• This educational model supports the development of essential skills for lifelong learning in the pharmacy profession.