Less Points, Less Stress, Better Learning in a Skills Laboratory Course Using Alternative Grading

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Pedagogical Strategies
• Skills Laboratory Assessment

Background:

• Traditional grading may not fully capture student learning in practical pharmacy skills.
• Pharmacy education requires innovative assessment methods to enhance student competency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effect of alternative grading on student knowledge and confidence.
• To compare outcomes between traditional and alternative grading in a pharmacy skills course.

Main Methods:

• Implemented alternative grading (revise-and-resubmit, feedback, self-reflection) in pharmacy skills lab.
• Utilized pre-post surveys for knowledge and confidence across three student cohorts.
• Compared a control cohort (traditional grading) with intervention cohorts (alternative grading).

Main Results:

• Both grading strategies increased student knowledge and confidence.
• Alternative grading cohorts began with lower institutional pharmacy knowledge but achieved higher post-course knowledge than the control.
• Students in alternative grading cohorts reported increased confidence in institutional pharmacy practice skills.

Conclusions:

• Redesigning a pharmacy skills course with alternative grading yielded comparable or superior learning outcomes.
• Alternative grading significantly boosted student confidence in institutional pharmacy practice.
• This approach supports enhanced learning and skill development in pharmacy education.