Student pharmacists’ perceptions of the implementation of peer assessment instruction and activities within a didactic course

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe pharmacy students’ experiences and perceptions of peer assessment before and after an instructional lecture and implementation of related activities within a didactic course. MethodsBaseline perceptions and previous experience with peer assessment were collected from second professional year student pharmacists enrolled in a didactic drug information course. This was followed by an instructional lecture describing appropriate methods for providing peer assessment. Throughout the semester students provided and received peer feedback for written assignments on three separate occasions. At the end of the semester, a post-survey instrument was administered to assess changes in perceptions of peer assessment to determine the utility of incorporating peer assessment activities within the classroom. ResultsA total of 108 students responded to both the pre- and post-survey instruments, providing a response rate of 75%. At baseline, only 38% of students reported that they received training on peer assessment, while 87% reported that they had previously used peer assessment. At the end of the semester, there was a significant increase in students agreeing that they had adequately learned about peer assessment and had a favorable experience with peer assessment. ConclusionImplementation of in-class peer assessment activities was well-received and improved students’ perception on their abilities to provide and receive peer feedback, which is a necessary component of the pharmacy work environment.