Measuring Pharmacy Student Engagement in a Pharmacotherapy Course With Required Attendance

Area of Science:

• Pharmacotherapy education
• Student engagement strategies
• Higher education pedagogy

Background:

• Student engagement is crucial for academic success in pharmacotherapy courses.
• Traditional lecture formats may not always foster optimal student participation.
• Implementing attendance policies can influence student presence and engagement levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate student engagement in a pharmacotherapy course with a mandatory attendance policy.
• To identify specific time intervals within the course where student engagement fluctuates.
• To assess student perceptions of the importance of engagement and attendance.

Main Methods:

• A graded attendance policy was implemented in a pharmacotherapy course.
• Weekly surveys assessed student engagement (on-task, off-task-related, off-task-unrelated) at three time points.
• Perception surveys gathered student views on attendance and engagement mid-semester and end-of-semester.

Main Results:

• The course achieved a high overall attendance rate of 91.1%.
• Students predominantly reported being on-task, with an average of 77.7% on-task weekly.
• Perception surveys showed positive student views on mandatory attendance and engagement.

Conclusions:

• A mandatory attendance policy is associated with high student engagement in pharmacotherapy education.
• Student perceptions generally support the integration of attendance requirements.
• Further research is needed to explore the non-performance benefits of class attendance.