An evaluation of student performance and perceptions within an integrated pharmaceutics course sequence

To describe the design of an integrated pharmaceutics course sequence and to assess the sequence by evaluating both student performance and perceptions.

The non-sterile products portion of a pharmaceutics course sequence was designed to integrate the disciplines of physical pharmacy, dosage forms, pharmacy compounding, and pharmaceutical calculations and to include the respective topics deemed most relevant to doctor of pharmacy curriculum. The appropriate course content was organized in a modular format that began with the general concepts of drug product administration, preparation, stability, and performance and then specifically applied these concepts to a variety of non-sterile dosage forms.

Student performance was assessed through several cumulative exams and lab practicals. Mean performance on these assessments was at a level generally considered to be adequate within the study institution. However, students performed better on the assessments having a lesser emphasis on physical pharmacy (p < 0.05) and a greater focus on basic skill development (p < 0.05). Student perceptions were evaluated using a survey instrument that had a useable response rate of 93%. Each course design element was utilized by a majority of respondents and was generally perceived as being beneficial to student learning.

The collected data indicate that the integrated course design facilitated the learning of applicable pharmaceutics-related topics and support the use of a number of different design elements. In addition, this study provides valuable insights for others providing professional-level pharmaceutics-related education and has helped guide our own course improvement efforts.