Pharmacy subjects development

Abstract

The delivery of adult education is fast changing from the classroom model to a blended, flexible style. Adults are more responsive when able to balance study and work, and have flexibility also in relation to time and place. Some pharmacy students are mature in age and are undertaking their second degree. The final year of the undergraduate pharmacy course prepares students for their internship year. The aim of the study was to develop the final-year subjects “Therapeutics” and “Clinical Pharmacy” in a pharmacy program to a model more suitable for adult learning while meeting the Australian Pharmacy Council undergraduate pharmacy course criteria in a flexible, blended problem-based style. The two subjects’ 2009 and 2010 evaluations and their materials were reviewed. Areas of students’ concerns were addressed, tested as pilot in 2011, and partially implemented in 2012 with final implementation in 2013. Pharmacy is a changing profession, increasingly evolving around information and communication technologies. For graduates to be work-ready, universities should review and update content, in line with practice developments in order to keep subjects current. By the first session in 2013, the two subjects were delivered in a blended mode, with lectures that included interactive case studies and poll questions, online quizzes, and practical classes. Assessments became face-to-face, online, and written. Ongoing evaluation will be undertaken annually.