Assessing Performance and Engagement on a Computer-Based Education Platform for Pharmacy Practice

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy education
• Digital learning platforms
• Professional development

Background:

• Canadian pharmacy professionals require support to adopt their full scope of practice.
• Computer-based education offers a scalable solution for professional development.
• Understanding user performance and engagement is key to optimizing educational platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a theory-based computer education platform designed for Canadian pharmacy professionals.
• To identify factors influencing user performance and engagement with the platform.
• To analyze the relationship between user characteristics, practice setting, and educational outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a theory-based computer education platform with 21 modules.
• Data collection on user performance (quiz scores) and engagement (completion rates).
• Statistical analysis including ANOVA, multivariate regression, and machine learning cluster analysis on data from 5290 users.

Main Results:

• Four distinct user clusters were identified for pharmacists and technicians.
• Higher performance and engagement were associated with community pharmacy practice and emerging topics (e.g., cannabis, vaccinations).
• Internationally trained pharmacists showed slightly lower scores but similar engagement; students exhibited higher engagement.
• Performance was better on scope of practice modules than clinical topics.

Conclusions:

• User performance and engagement on the platform are significantly influenced by practice setting, particularly community pharmacy.
• Educational platform design should consider practice-specific needs and emerging areas of pharmacy.
• Place of practice appears more critical than demographic factors in predicting engagement and performance.