Implementing a strategy for promoting long-term meaningful learning in a pharmacokinetics course

The purpose of this paper is to describe the evolution and effectiveness of instructional strategies that were implemented over a seven-year period to enhance the authenticity of instruction and assessment in a pharmacokinetics (PK) course.

Baseline data from 2011 and 2012 were analyzed to identify opportunities for improvement. In 2013 and 2014, lectures, PK workshops, and exam questions were modified to represent more authentic learning and assessment. Counter to expectations, 2013 and 2014 exam scores were significantly lower when compared to 2011 and 2012 scores. The course was modified further in 2015 to incorporate post-workshop quizzes that provided corrective feedback and required the use of retrieval as a learning strategy. Exam scores were compared across the three phases of course improvement (2011/2012 vs. 2013/2014 vs. 2015/2016/2017) using statistical analyses.

The average final examination score in 2011-2012 was 84.6%. After increasing the number of authentic assessment exam items, the average on the final examination in 2013-2014 decreased to 80.3% (p < 0.0001). Following the implementation of the post-workshop quizzes, the average final examination scores increased from 2015-2017 to 85.9% (p < 0.0001, compared to 2013-2014; p = 0.08, compared to 2011-2012).

Implementation of these evidence-based learning and instructional strategies (authentic learning, retrieval of new learning, and corrective feedback) was associated with higher student performance on the final examination over time.

These strategies may be valuable in improving student learning outcomes in other challenging professional program courses.