Effect of an Individualized Post-Examination Instructor Remediation on Pharmacy Student Performance in a Biochemistry...

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry education
• Pharmacy curriculum development
• Academic support strategies

Background:

• Pharmacy biochemistry courses often have high failure rates.
• Effective student support is crucial for academic success in demanding programs.
• Targeted interventions can mitigate academic challenges faced by pharmacy students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a one-on-one instructor remediation program on student performance.
• To measure the improvement in scores on subsequent examinations following remediation.
• To assess the effectiveness of remediation in a challenging pharmacy biochemistry course.

Main Methods:

• Students scoring below 70% were offered individualized remediation sessions.
• Remediation covered study habits, concept understanding, and time management.
• Performance was compared between remediated and non-remediated students using adjusted examination scores.

Main Results:

• Students seeking remediation were typically those with lower initial scores.
• While scores improved post-exam regardless of remediation, the process increased improvement by 43%.
• The one-on-one remediation demonstrated a statistically significant positive effect on student performance.

Conclusions:

• Post-examination, one-on-one remediation is an effective strategy for enhancing student performance.
• This intervention shows potential for improving student retention in high-failure-rate pharmacy courses.
• Targeted academic support can positively influence outcomes in specialized science education.