Optimizing the Spacing of Retrieval Practice to Improve Pharmacy Students' Learning of Drug Names

Objective. To optimize student pharmacists' long-term retention of brand and generic drug names through spacing and modification of quiz format. Methods. In three experiments, student pharmacists learned brand and generic names for the Top 200 medications taught in a self-paced course. The students completed two spaced quizzes on the course content, a final examination, and a measure of long-term retention administered several weeks after the course was completed. Experiment 1 examined the spacing of quiz 2 relative to quiz 1 and the final examination. Experiment 2 examined whether providing hints such as giving the first 3 letters of the paired associate impacted learning. Experiment 3 examined whether providing more elaborate context improved student retention. Results. When quiz 2 was administered closer to quiz 1 but further from the final examination (expanding practice), students' long-term knowledge retention was greatest. When the first three letters of the paired associate were provided, students' long-term retention decreased. When more elaborative context was provided within the quizzes, students' long-term retention was unaffected despite higher final examination performance. Conclusion. Making retrieval of concepts easier reduces pharmacy students' long-term knowledge retention, albeit only a small effect was seen in this study. In addition, providing more elaborative context in terms of drug class and indication during retrieval did not improve students' learning.