Abstract
(1) Background: The outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, forced colleges of pharmacy to implement new online learning methodologies to ensure that students could complete required courses. This transition was especially acute for laboratory simulation courses that require students to practice professional skills. This study aims to compare student assessment performance within a simulation-based laboratory course for students who completed the module prior to and after the online transition. (2) Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort comparison of student outcome performance with two distinct content delivery methods. Students were organized into two tracks at the beginning of the semester to determine the order of the simulation module. The online learning transition occurred in-between the delivery of the same module, which allowed comparison of online versus in-person content delivery with consistent assessment. Remediation rates on each assessment were compared using chi-squared tests. (3) Results: Student pharmacists across the first and second professional year performed similarly despite in-person or online course formats, with no significant differences in remediation rates. (4) Conclusions: Pharmacy course content, including laboratory-based simulation activity, may produce similar assessment performance when using online content delivery. Further research into hybrid or mixed-delivery models may enhance learning without affecting assessment performance.
Highlights
The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has impacted more than 4000 colleges and 25 million students in the United States due to campus closings, and required many courses to shift to an online format [1]
While most students already utilize some form of online learning, the rapid transition from in-person to online learning format during what was the middle of a semester for most required educators to utilize innovative and unfamiliar technology to ensure student success [2]
All competencies that are assessed during Patient-Centered Care Experience (PaCE) are based on the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) and Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accreditation requirements [22,23]
Summary
The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has impacted more than 4000 colleges and 25 million students in the United States due to campus closings, and required many courses to shift to an online format [1]. While most students already utilize some form of online learning, the rapid transition from in-person to online learning format during what was the middle of a semester for most required educators to utilize innovative and unfamiliar technology to ensure student success [2]. The utility of online learning has been studied for nearly 20 years, including in the United States and globally, with evidence finding that it is at least as effective as in-person learning [6,7,8]. Online learning may provide more opportunities for collaborative learning, and allowing educators to hold more of a “facilitator” role when teaching, rather than lecturing to students [12]
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