A computer-assisted teaching system in pharmacology for health professionals

In this report the authors describe experiences with a computer-assisted teaching system in teaching pharmacology to medical students and other health professionals. The system is composed of both computer-assisted instruction and computer-managed instruction. The "Keller Plan" philosophy was adopted, and the pharmacology course was organized into modules. Students were required to meet minimum proficiency requirements in each module and have multiple chances to reach this or higher levels. The advantages of this system are numerous. The department can provide both scheduled and independent study courses in basic pharmacology to students of different educational levels. Students can progress through a course at various speeds; that is, achievement is constant, but time is variable. Both the students and instructors are provided with frequent and rapid feedback. Most importantly, students with low aptitudes achieve significantly higher scores on the pharmacology portion of the examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners.