Facilitation of a multisite student topic discussion series using web-based conferencing technology

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Experiential Learning
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Classroom technology use is documented, but its role in experiential education is less defined.
• Assessing technology's impact on clinical knowledge and skills during advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a web-based topic discussion (TD) series on clinical knowledge and application skills in ambulatory care APPEs.
• To assess student perceptions of learning via web-based conferencing technology.

Main Methods:

• A multisite TD series using web-based conferencing was implemented for ambulatory care APPEs.
• Five topic discussions were conducted per rotation, covering key ambulatory care disease states.
• Pre- and post-assessments measured knowledge gain, and a survey captured student perceptions.

Main Results:

• Student performance improved significantly from 53.3% to 65.8% on assessments.
• Post-assessment scores showed significant improvement across all topic areas.
• Students reported enhanced learning, improved clinical application, and a positive online learning community.

Conclusions:

• Web-based conferencing effectively enhanced student knowledge during APPEs.
• Students perceived the online learning community positively, despite minor technological issues.
• The study supports using web-based conferencing to improve student learning in APPEs.