Comparison of Student Perceptions of Compounding Knowledge and Confidence Between Online and In-Person PharmD Cohorts

To compare student perceptions of compounding knowledge and confidence levels between the online (OL) and in-person (IP) cohorts of a novel 3-year accelerated PharmD program.

An integrated compounding pharmacy course (PMD 709) was delivered concurrently to online and in-person cohorts of the PharmD Classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 at D'Youville University School of Pharmacy. Students completed identical sterile and non-sterile compounding exercises and a standardized Skills Week practical evaluation. A 10-item Qualtrics survey assessed perceived instruction effectiveness, confidence, and course quality. Data was analyzed using chi-square tests (α = 0.05) and effect sizes (Cramér's V).

A total of 126 valid responses were obtained from 257 enrolled students (response rate: 49%), comprising 84 OL and 42 IP participants. Significant differences were observed in perceived instruction effectiveness and confidence. OL students more frequently reported "very effective" (77.4% vs. 42.8%) and "very confident" (66.7% vs. 33.3%) compared to IP students. Despite these perceptual differences, actual course performance was comparable with a 90% class average and a 100% passing rate in both groups.

Although significant differences were observed between instructional modalities in students' perceived effectiveness and confidence, actual academic performance was comparable across cohorts. Despite the limitations inherent to self-reported studies, these findings suggest that asynchronous online instruction can achieve learning outcomes similar to those of traditional in-person teaching in pharmaceutical compounding. However, the observed differences in students' perceptions and experiences warrant continued attention in curriculum design.