Flipped classroom versus a didactic method with active learning in a modified team-based learning self-care...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacotherapy Education
• Medical Education Research
• Active Learning Strategies

Background:

• Investigating educational outcomes of different teaching modalities is crucial for optimizing student learning.
• The flipped classroom and didactic approaches are common in higher education, but their comparative effectiveness requires further study.
• Self-care pharmacotherapy courses present unique challenges for student comprehension and application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare educational outcomes between a flipped classroom and a didactic method with active learning.
• To explore student preferences for teaching modalities in a modified team-based learning (TBL) self-care pharmacotherapy course.
• To analyze the impact of teaching methods on student performance in readiness assurance processes and exams.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study was conducted over two semesters using a modified team-based learning (TBL) approach.
• Student performance was assessed through individual (iRAP) and team (tRAP) readiness assurance processes and course exams.
• Student preferences for teaching modalities were gathered through pre- and post-course surveys.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed in individual readiness assurance process (iRAP) scores, team readiness assurance process (tRAP) scores, or final exam performance between the didactic and flipped methods.
• Pre-course surveys showed a preference for a combination approach (58.2%), followed by didactic (27.7%), and flipped (9%).
• Post-course surveys indicated a shift, with a near-equal preference for didactic (46.8%) and combination (47.5%) approaches, while flipped classroom preference decreased to 5.7%.

Conclusions:

• Neither the flipped classroom nor the didactic method demonstrated a statistically significant advantage in terms of student academic outcomes in this self-care pharmacotherapy course.
• Student perceptions suggest the didactic method may enhance understanding and retention, while the flipped method is perceived to improve critical thinking and application.
• Despite initial interest, student preference for the flipped classroom model diminished by the end of the course, highlighting the importance of considering student perceptions in pedagogical choices.