Quizzing for success: Evaluation of the impact of feedback quizzes on the experiences and academic performance of undergraduate students in two clinical pharmacokinetics courses

Abstract

Background and purposeStudents find clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics courses challenging, partly due to their mathematical nature. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the impact of “feedback quizzes” on the experiences and academic performance of undergraduate pharmacy students at an Australian university. Educational activity and settingFormative paper-based quizzes were introduced into tutorials in an intermediate third-year pharmacokinetics course, and summative online quizzes were introduced into a subsequent advanced fourth-year course that included a pharmacokinetics component. Experience data were drawn from institutional student evaluation surveys, and academic performance was obtained from exam results. Student experiences and academic performance were compared pre- and post-intervention using the Test of Equal Proportions and Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon, respectively. FindingsA greater proportion of students in both quiz cohorts were satisfied with the overall course experience compared to the pre-curricular change cohort (intermediate: 87% vs. 78%; advanced: 63% vs. 50%). Students who received quizzes in both years performed better in the clinical pharmacokinetics component of the advanced course compared to a prior cohort who had no quizzes (85.7% vs. 77.8%). SummaryFeedback quizzes, whether formative or summative, administered in-class or outside class, can enhance learning and performance and lead to improvements in student satisfaction with clinical pharmacokinetics courses. Scaffolding of feedback quizzes across year levels can provide students with added confidence when attempting assessment. Collaboration between research-focused and teaching-focused staff can lead to increased scholarship of teaching and learning activities.