Abstract
Objective. To conduct a retrospective cohort pilot study to evaluate the impact of a living learning community (LLC) designed for undergraduate pre-pharmacy students interested in pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program.Methods. Persistence, retention, and progression within the pre-pharmacy program, as well as grade point average (GPA) were measured for LLC students and their pre-pharmacy peers who did not participate in the LLC. Information was obtained from the university's data system and analyzed. Persistence was defined as the student continuing at the university from the fall to spring academic terms. Retention was defined as the student being enrolled at the university during a subsequent fall term. Progression was determined by whether the student had successfully completed the pre-pharmacy curriculum and began pharmacy school within two or three years of initial enrollment in the pre-pharmacy program.Results. Despite having admissions characteristics comparable to other pre-pharmacy students, students who participated in the LLC demonstrated significantly higher grade-point averages and retention than their peers who did not participate.Conclusion. Living learning community programs may be a valuable contributor to pre-pharmacy student success in terms of students' persistence, retention, and progression in a pre-pharmacy program.
Highlights
High-impact educational practices are a set of teaching and learning methods that have been widely studied and, when implemented, proven to have benefits for students from a variety of backgrounds and increase both retention and student engagement.[1]
The pre-pharmacy program at the University of New England is a collection of pharmacy school pre-requisite courses that a student can finish within two years of study, many students choose to complete the program in three years
Seventy-eight pre-pharmacy students participated in the Living learning communities (LLCs) and 135 pre-pharmacy students did not participate in the LLC over the five years (Cohort 2) included in the study
Summary
High-impact educational practices are a set of teaching and learning methods that have been widely studied and, when implemented, proven to have benefits for students from a variety of backgrounds and increase both retention and student engagement.[1]. All three models demonstrated increased first-semester academic performance and first to second year retention despite differences in student selection (first-come, firstserved vs application only), major of study (single vs a mix of majors), and residential living requirement.[4] These results indicate that any efforts to create learning experiences alongside of the curriculum and increased connections between what is learned within the classroom and what is learned outside of the classroom may have lasting benefits for students in measured areas of success such as GPA.[4] This is of particular importance for undergraduate pre-pharmacy students who typically begin to apply to pharmacy schools during their second year of college. The first undergraduate year is followed by the opening of the pharmacy school admissions cycle, with early decision applications due in early September of their second year of undergraduate studies. Increased retention efforts will be necessary as applications to pharmacy schools decline nationally.[7]
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