Exploring Benefits of Instructional Coaching as a Model to Improve Teaching Practices in Pharmacy Education

This narrative review explores instructional coaching as a valuable faculty development strategy in pharmacy education to enhance teaching practices and improve student learning outcomes. This manuscript serves as a preliminary examination of the potential benefits of instructional coaching, drawing on current literature.

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education standards emphasize professional development to improve faculty performance. However, traditional offerings often lack personalization, sustained practice, and empirical links to improved student achievement. In contrast, instructional coaching provides personalized, job-embedded support through collaborative dialogue. It fosters the application of evidence-based teaching methods, promotes educator self-reflection on learner-centered practices, and bridges the gap between theory and practice. While limited data exist on instructional coaching in pharmacy education, substantial research demonstrates that it significantly enhances teaching quality and student outcomes in elementary and secondary education. Instructional coaching encourages instructors to engage in critical reflection on their teaching philosophies and learners' needs. This reflective practice is essential for academic development and for transitioning from educator-centered to learner-centered instruction.

Instructional coaching emerges as a promising model to improve pharmacy faculty's instructional practices and student learning outcomes. By providing personalized, job-embedded support fostering reflective practice, it can shift beliefs and bridge the gap between theory and practice. Pharmacy education stakeholders should implement and evaluate instructional coaching through robust research to validate its effectiveness, examining impacts on instructor development, teaching quality, and student achievement. As learner needs evolve, this faculty development approach ultimately aims to enhance pharmacy education and promote student success.