Students In Fall Research Articles

Use of Integrated Metabolic Maps as a Framework for Teaching Biochemical Pathways in the Pre-clinical Medical Curriculum

IntroductionThe Larner College of Medicine has steadily transitioned to primarily active learning-based instruction. Although evaluations praise session formats, students often highlight difficulties in synthesizing preparatory materials to integrate biochemical pathways. A student/faculty collaboration led to the development of interactive metabolic maps that illustrate pathways and link to a broader framework of metabolism.MethodsA review of the session materials identified relevant biochemical pathways, and for each pathway, we created a fillable visual diagram to highlight the interactions between all substrates, enzymes, and cofactors. Implementation of the metabolic maps began for first-year medical students in fall 2022. Evaluation data included standard student session evaluations (Likert scale and qualitative comments) and a survey specific to the metabolic maps.ResultsAfter implementing the maps, student ratings of biochemistry/metabolism session materials significantly improved (3.2 ± 1.04 to 4.3 ± 0.87, p < 0.001), and students made positive comments about their effectiveness. Most students (77.8%) used the metabolic maps to aid in studying biochemistry content for exams and found the metabolic maps important for integrating information about metabolic pathways. The median performance on metabolism-specific questions was higher, although not statistically significant (69.23 to 77.28, ns).DiscussionThe implementation of integrated metabolic maps improved student satisfaction of biochemistry/metabolism session materials. Limitations include confounding factors related to student population differences and other simultaneous curriculum changes. Implementing interactive visual aids to integrate metabolism pathways and concepts is applicable to any medical curriculum, and other longitudinal topics may benefit from this type of curricular framework.

Assessing First-Year (M1) Medical Students’ Understanding of Blood Glucose Control Using a “Backward Design” Asynchronous Physiology Lecture

Introduction: Backward design, an instructional model outlined by Wiggins and McTighe, emphasizes identifying key learning outcomes (LOs) that students must be able to perform after learning about a topic. It requires educators to first develop authentic assessments aligned with the key LOs, which form the basis of course content and activities. The majority of medical students across the United States encounter lecture-based learning in their first two years of basic sciences curriculum with little opportunity for hands-on training to build on necessary learning skills for future application in the clinic. Compared to traditional lecturing, a backward-designed session with planned activities may better develop medical students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Our goal was to redesign a traditional first-year medical school lecture using the backward design model, and compare student perceptions and understanding of key concepts. Methods: We redesigned a traditional lecture on the topic, “Blood Glucose Control” from Fall 2022, using a backward design framework, and delivered it in Fall 2023. For redesign, we re-evaluated our LOs, and ensured that they aligned with the four assessment questions that we developed, which were used to build session content. We then compared student perceptions of learning and their performance on assessments between the two years. In both years, this topic was delivered asynchronously along with four assessment questions in the foundational course offered to 125 first-year medical students (M1s). Results: LOs were edited to include specific concepts that were tested on the four assessment questions. Upon mapping, we found that certain learning objectives were not adequately covered in the lecture, so we followed an iterative process to edit lecture content and created two activities, such as a clinical case branching scenario and a drag-and-drop activity. Of the 125 M1s, the four assessment questions in the years 2022 and 2023 were completed by a total of 50 and 60 students respectively. The average score for M1 students in Fall 2022 was 68.3562 (SEM=4.241577536) while those for students in Fall 2023 was 72.76966667 (SEM=3.655350463) ( p=0.617). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate an upward movement of the average score among students from Fall 2023 when a backward-design framework was used, compared to that of Fall 2022 students who received the traditional lecture. Although not statistically significant, the backward-design framework benefitted medical student performance when compared to traditional lecturing. Additionally, our research introduces innovative ways of incorporating interactive student activities in an asynchronous lecture that medical educators can implement into their own courses. Our future directions include comparing student perceptions between the two lecturing styles and correlating it with their performance. No funding sources to disclose. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Assessing the influence of traditional in-seat, online, and emergency remote teaching (ERT) modalities on sustainability learning in human geography

ABSTRACT Globally, the disruptions to higher education caused by COVID-19 required most campuses to make impromptu shifts to emergency remote teaching (ERT). When compared to traditional online education, ERT generally falls short in terms of pedagogies, pacing, and/or successful modality implementation. Elsewhere, it is established that the sudden shift towards online and asynchronous ERT delivery creates student challenges, especially in terms of internet unavailability and social disconnectedness. What remains understudied is the impact of COVID-19 on actual student learning. We address this knowledge gap using a natural research design where we (i) evaluated sustainability learning for traditional in-seat and online human geography students in Fall 2018 and (ii) obtained federal funding to evaluate sustainability learning for ERT and online students in Spring 2020. Results from the analysis indicate that in-seat students outperformed online students prior to COVID-19 on a standardized sustainability knowledge assessment by 13%. Results also indicate that in-seat students prior to COVID-19 (Fall 2018) outperformed ERT students (Spring 2020) by 28%. Discussion and limitations are provided.

Theory, Measurement, and Psychometric Properties of Risk and Protective Factors for Drug Misuse Among Adolescents Living on or near the Cherokee Nation Reservation

A team of tribe-based behavioral health specialists and university-based researchers partnered to implement a cluster randomized trial for the prevention of drug misuse among adolescents attending public high schools on or near the Cherokee Nation Reservation in northeastern Oklahoma. The conceptual framework, which guided intervention and measurement design for the trial, incorporates indigenous knowledge and worldviews with empirically-based frameworks and evidence-based practices. Our goal is to serve multicultural youth, families, and schools and to provide a model of effective strategies for wide dissemination. This paper presents the conceptual model, survey design, and psychometric properties of scales to measure risk and protective factors for substance misuse. The survey includes common measures drawn from the PhenX Toolkit on substance use patterns—adolescent module, measured with standard items from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study and items harmonized across ten NIH-funded research projects with diverse samples of youth. In our trial, brief (20-minute) self-report questionnaires were administered to 10th grade students in fall 2021 (n = 919, 87% response rate) and spring 2022 (n = 929, 89% response rate) in 20 participating high schools on or near the Cherokee Nation Reservation. The sample primarily fell into the following three categories of race/ethnicity identification: only American Indian (AI-only, 29%), AI and another race/ethnicity (AI+, 27%), and only White (35%). Results indicate that risk and protective factor scales were reliably and validly measured with 10 scales and 10 subscales. There were minimal differences between youth who identified as AI only, AI+, and White only, especially for the main scales, which provide confidence in the interpretation of trial outcomes across demographic groups. Study results may not be generalizable to AI/AN youth who live and attend school in more homogenous reservation lands, or alternatively, live in large diverse metropolitan areas.

Professionalizing environmental education: outcomes from an undergraduate special topics course on environmental organizations and careers

In the modern workforce, environmental scholars and professionals need a working technical knowledge of complex social-environmental issues and a mastery of interpersonal skills like leadership, communication, and collaboration. This article reflects on a special topics course offered to undergraduate students in Fall 2021, titled “Survey of Environmental Organizations.” Pre- and post-course surveys were given to assess student experiences and outcomes. Results of paired t-tests and open-ended responses show that students gained confidence in their career prospects, developed and practiced professional skills, and benefitted from opportunities to network with professionals in their desired field(s). The principal contribution is a framework for educators who may want to integrate professional skills and career readiness into courses or programs in environmental science.

Perceived Stress and Impact on Role Functioning in University Students with Migraine-Like Headaches during COVID-19

Two identical cross-sectional surveys were sent to students in Fall 2019 and Spring 2021 at a mid-sized university in the U.S. The students were queried on the headache impact scale (HIT-6) and perceived stress scale (PSS-10). Associations between the migraine-like headaches, severity of the headaches, stress levels, and headache impacts on the individuals' role functioning were analyzed. The average age of the respondents (n = 721) was 20.81 ± 4.32 years in 2019 and (n = 520) 20.95 ± 3.19 years in 2021. A difference (p = 0.044) was found in the HIT-6 score <49 category. The other categories of the HIT-6 and the PSS-10 were not significant. During COVID-19, more students answered that their migraine-like headaches had lower impacts on their role functioning, thus suggesting that the students were having less severe migraines. A trend was seen for student's stress levels, indicating a decrease from 2019 to 2021. Furthermore, our results showed that the impact of headaches and stress levels slightly declined throughout the pandemic.

An Evaluation of Nonacademic Predictors of Success in a Doctor of Pharmacy Program

Objective. Pharmacy programs have struggled to predict who will be successful in their programs based solely on cognitive skills. The primary objective of this study was to determine which, if any, nonacademic factors are associated with on-time progression within the school of pharmacy curriculum.Methods. A survey was developed and offered to all Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy students in fall 2020. This survey included questions to collect demographic data and incorporated four validated questionnaires: the Grit-Grid, the Academic Pharmacy Resilience Scale (APRS-16), the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), and the Turkish Time Management Questionnaire (TTMQ).Results. Completed surveys were submitted by 213 students out of 569 (37.4% response rate). On-time progression rate was calculated separately for each class. Through binary logistic regression, we found that on-time progression was significantly associated with prepharmacy grade point average >3.20, high school Grit-Grid score >0.9, APRS-16 score >35, and CPSS score >34. Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) composite scores and admissions committee rubric scores were not associated with on-time progression.Conclusion. Based on the results of this study, it may be reasonable to implement the Grit-Grid, APRS-16, and the CPSS in the admissions process to help determine the most appropriate candidates for our program or use them as screening tools for incoming students to identify who may be at academic risk. However, these factors need to be validated in pharmacy programs in other private and public universities before widespread adoption can be condoned.

Understanding transitions in exploration profiles of students opting for higher education.

Since previous research on educational career exploration has mainly been cross-sectional and therefore has been unsuccessful in explaining how this process can change during the final year in secondary education before students make the transition to higher education, this study aimed to examine changes over time in the exploration process. A person-centered research perspective was taken to further deepen the understanding of how different exploration tasks jointly combine into meaningful profiles. In this way, this study tried to gain more insight into why some students go through this process successfully and others do not. Four goals guided this study: identifying exploration profiles of students in Fall and Spring of the final year in secondary school based on four decisional tasks (orientation, self-, broad and in-depth exploration), investigating transitions between exploration profiles across these two timepoints, and examining the role which different antecedents (i.e., academic self-efficacy, academic self-concept, motivation, test anxiety, gender, educational track, socio-economic status) play in explaining both profile membership and transitions between profiles. Using self-report questionnaires to measure the exploration tasks and the antecedents in final year students, two cross-sectional samples collected in Fall (n = 9,567) and Spring (n = 7,254), and one longitudinal sample (n = 672) were examined. Latent profile analyses identified three exploration profiles at both timepoints: passive, moderately active, and highly active explorers. Latent transition analysis showed the moderately active explorers profile to be the most stable profile, while the passive profile was the most variable profile. Academic self-concept, motivation, test anxiety, and gender had an effect on the initial states, while motivation and test anxiety affected the transition probabilities. For both academic self-concept and motivation, students scoring higher were found to be less present in the passive or the moderately active than in the highly active profile. Furthermore, compared to students who remained in the passive profile, higher levels of motivation were associated with a higher probability to transition to the moderately active profile. Next to that, compared to students who remained in the highly active profile, higher levels of motivation were associated with a lower probability to transition to the moderately active profile. Results on anxiety were inconsistent. Based on substantial cross-sectional as well as longitudinal data, our findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the explanatory base of important differences in the study choice making process of students opting for higher education. This may ultimately lead to more timely and fitting support for students with different exploration profiles.

Self-assessment of hand instrumentation skills in pre-doctoral students using painted typodont teeth

This study was conducted to determine if a hand instrumentation exercise on painted typodont teeth is a useful guided self-assessment tool for predoctoral students compared to artificial calculus on typodont teeth. Four (4) artificial calculus typodont teeth and four (4) painted typodont teeth were scaled by 69 fourth year dental students in fall of 2015 in their dental licensure board preparation course. Selected typodont teeth were free of calculus and instead painted. Students were asked to participate voluntarily in the survey for their perception of the new exercise and self-assessment of their hand instrumentation skill. The same set of survey questions were given after scaling artificial calculus and after painted teeth on mounted dental hygiene models on Simulation Manikins. Forty-four (44) students participated in the survey. The survey revealed that students felt significantly more familiar with overall hand instrumentation techniques after painted tooth exercise than calculus typodont teeth exercise. However, their responses showed statistically less confidence in their skill level in overlapping strokes, adequate force and correct finger grasp than traditional calculus typodont teeth. Students found the painted teeth exercise helpful in advancing their practical skills and spatial and anatomical arrangement (p &amp;#60; 0.05). For experienced predoctoral students, the painted typodont tooth exercise provided a more detailed, targeted self-assessment and better practical skill advancement than a traditional calculus typodont exercise.

Breaking news of social problems: examining media consumption and student beliefs about school shootings

Objective: to explore the relationship between college students’ media consumption and their attitude to school shootings in the United States of America.Methods: dialectical approach to cognition of social phenomena, allowing to analyze them in historical development and functioning in the context of the totality of objective and subjective factors, which predetermined the following research methods: formal-logical, comparative-legal, and sociological.Results: School shootings are considered by many to be a social problem in need of a solution. While episodic in nature, they generate fear and concern, particularly as a result of the amount of attention they garner by and through the media. The present study explores the relationship between college students’ media consumption and their beliefs that school shootings are a problem in the United States. A survey was administered to 442 university students in fall 2012 and included measures of specific modes through which media is consumed, including television, newspaper, and social media, which then were analyzed to assess such a relationship. The results indicate that social media—Twitter 2 in particular—are significant predictors of students’ beliefs about school shootings. These findings also represent an important shift in media production that encourages a more participatory discourse with audience members. Implications for journalistic practices, study limitations, and directions for future research also are discussed.Scientific novelty: The present study sought to examine the impact of media consumption on respondents’ beliefs that school shootings are a problem in the U.S. It was hypothesized that there is a positive relationship between the amount of media that students consume and their belief that school shootings are a problem. It was found that the more students use social media, and Twitter in particular, the stronger their beliefs that school shootings are a social problem. Not all media use, however, was related to these beliefs in accordance with cultivation theory.Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific, pedagogical and law enforcement activities when considering the issues related to the crime prevention and suppression.

Loneliness is associated with unhealthful dietary behaviors and physical inactivity among US college students

Objective: To evaluate dietary and physical activity behavior in relation to loneliness among college students. Participants: Three-hundred forty-six incoming first-year students in Fall 2019 at a large state University in the US. Methods: Students completed online surveys in Fall 2019. Multivariable regression analyses were used to model associations of health behaviors with loneliness, adjusting for gender and body mass index (BMI). Results: Two-hundred sixty-four students were included in this analysis. Students in loneliness score ranges of 4–6 and 7–9 have higher fat diet than students in score range of 10–12 (p = .007). Sedentary (19.2%) and low active (53.8%) behaviors were more frequent in students reporting high loneliness than those reporting low loneliness (13.8%, 36.7%, respectively) (p = .006). Conclusions: In this sample of college students, loneliness was related to altered diet quality and physical inactivity. Interventions to reduce loneliness may have a positive effect on health promotion in this population.

The relationship between acquaintance with a SARS-CoV-2 death, positive SARS-CoV-2 test results, and sleep duration among college students in fall 2020.

The aim of this study was to test whether two SARS-CoV-2 experiences, knowing someone who had died of SARS-CoV-2 infection and having received a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result, were associated with shorter sleep duration among undergraduate students. An online cross-sectional study was conducted at a large public Midwestern university in September 2020 (fall semester). Self-reported average sleep duration and the exposures of interest, knowing someone who died from a SARS-CoV-2 infection and their own SARS-CoV-2 test result, were collected from 1,058 undergraduate study participants. Respondents who knew someone who had died of a SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to report having a short sleep duration, compared to respondents who did not know someone who had died of a SARS-CoV-2 infection (aOR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.79). However, those with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result were less likely to report a short sleep duration, compared to respondents without a positive test history (aOR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.91). These findings suggest that college students' knowing someone who had died of SARS-CoV-2 infection and having received a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result are associated with sleep duration. However, different experiences may impact sleep differently, so further research is warranted to better understand how unusual events impact the sleep of college students.

Improving the first-year experience of Chinese international students through responsive pedagogy: Insights from F&amp;M in Shanghai

This article discusses lessons learned from the development and execution of F&amp;M in Shanghai, a hybrid residential-remote program created for Franklin and Marshall College’s first-year Chinese students in Fall 2020. The F&amp;M Office of International Programs worked with the Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA) to develop the residential portion of the program, and coordinated the curriculum and remote engagement framework. F&amp;M in Shanghai represented an opportunity to craft a constructive environment for first-year Chinese students by intentionally considering and meeting their specific needs. Utilizing creative, well-designed pedagogy, thoughtful programming, and a multipronged approach to student support, we were able to operate the program with great success. Assessments of F&amp;M in Shanghai resulted in a great deal of data, and some results we observed run counter to received wisdom. This article discusses how these results suggest avenues for future research.

Examining School and Neighborhood Effects of Socioeconomic Status on Childhood Obesity in the U.S.

Obesity amongst Kindergartners in Texas is above the national average, particularly among Hispanic students. Research on the impact of school and neighborhood-level SES on obesity in childhood using multilevel models is lacking. Survey data were collected from Hispanic caregivers of pre-kindergarten students in Fall 2019 (n = 237). Students were clustered in thirty-two neighborhoods and twelve schools. The dependent variable was the child’s body mass index z-score (BMIz). Covariates included the child’s sex, primary caregiver’s marital status, education level, relationship to the child, and family income. Level-two variables included neighborhood poverty and school SES. CTableross-classified multilevel linear regression models were conducted to examine the unique associations of neighborhood poverty and school SES with individual student BMIz, and how they interact. Twenty-four percent of students were classified as overweight, and five percent were classified as obese. The models resulted in a significant association between school SES and BMIz (B = −0.13; SE = 0.06; p < 0.05) and between neighborhood poverty and BMIz (B = −1.41; SE = 0.49; p < 0.01). Individual students’ BMIz decreased as school SES increased and decreased as neighborhood poverty increased. Neighborhood poverty and school SES appear to play a role in the development of obesity in childhood, although in differing directions.

Recovering the Story of Pragmatism in India: Bhimrao Ambedkar, John Dewey, and the Origins of Navayana Pragmatism

Recovering the Story of Pragmatism in India: Bhimrao Ambedkar, John Dewey, and the Origins of Navayana Pragmatism

Study protocol for a cluster randomized trial of a school, family, and community intervention for preventing drug misuse among older adolescents in the Cherokee Nation

BackgroundThe national opioid crisis has disproportionately burdened rural White populations and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. Therefore, Cherokee Nation and Emory University public health scientists have designed an opioid prevention trial to be conducted in rural communities in the Cherokee Nation (northeast Oklahoma) with AI and other (mostly White) adolescents and young adults. Our goal is to implement and evaluate a theory-based, integrated multi-level community intervention designed to prevent the onset and escalation of opioid and other drug misuse. Two distinct intervention approaches—community organizing, as implemented in our established Communities Mobilizing for Change and Action (CMCA) intervention protocol, and universal school-based brief intervention and referral, as implemented in our established Connect intervention protocol—will be integrated with skill-based training for adults to strengthen social support for youth and also with strategic media. Furthermore, we will test systems for sustained implementation within existing organizational structures of the Cherokee Nation and local schools and communities. This study protocol describes the cluster randomized trial, designed to measure implementation and evaluate the effectiveness on primary and secondary outcomes.MethodsUsing a cluster randomized controlled design and constrained randomization, this trial will allocate 20 high schools and surrounding communities to either an intervention or delayed-intervention comparison condition. With a proposed sample of 20 high schools, all enrolled 10th grade students in fall 2021 (ages 15 to 17) will be eligible for participation. During the trial, we will (1) implement interventions through the Cherokee Nation and measure implementation processes and fidelity, (2) measure opioid and other drug use and secondary outcomes every 6 months among a cohort of high school students followed over 3 years through their transition out of high school, (3) test via a cluster randomized trial the effect of the integrated CMCA-Connect intervention, and (4) analyze implementation costs. Primary outcomes include the number of days during the past 30 days of (1) any alcohol use, (2) heavy alcohol use (defined as having at least four, among young women, or five, among young men, standard alcoholic drinks within a couple of hours), (3) any marijuana use, and (4) prescription opioid misuse (defined as “without a doctor’s prescription or differently than how a doctor or medical provider told you to use it”).DiscussionThis trial will expand upon previous research advancing the scientific evidence regarding prevention of opioid and other drug misuse during the critical developmental period of late adolescent transition to young adulthood among a sample of American Indian and other youth living within the Cherokee Nation reservation.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04839978. Registered on April 9, 2021. Version 4, January 26, 2022

Diet Quality of First Semester Southeastern College Students and the Impact of COVID-19

ObjectivesStudies have reported poor food choices and unhealthy eating behaviors among college students. The purpose of this study was to assess the diet quality of college freshmen and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsFreshman students 18 years or older in all majors in a southeastern university were invited to take the Diet History Questionnaire III (DHQ III) in fall 2019 and in fall 2020. The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores from the participants were obtained and compared to the HEI-2015 national averages through one-sample t-tests.ResultsThirty students in fall 2019 cohort (86.7% female, 46.7% white) and 55 students in fall 2020 cohort (78.2% female, 63.5% white) completed the survey. Compared to national average data, participants in the current study had higher total HEI scores (60.9 vs. 58.3, P < 0.05), higher total fruits scores (3.8 vs. 2.6, P < 0.001), higher dairy scores (6.4 vs. 5.4, P < 0.001), but lower total protein scores (4.1 vs. 5.0, P < 0.001), lower seafood and plant protein scores (3.6 vs. 5.0, P < 0.001), higher refined grains scores (8.0 vs. 6.7, P < 0.001), and higher sodium scores (4.7 vs. 3.4, P < 0.001). Just examining the 2020 cohort of students, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall HEI scores were lower and not significantly different from the national average (P > 0.05) and HEI fatty acids scores were lower (3.7 vs. 4.5, P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe diet quality of freshman college students remains inadequate and interventions are needed to prevent or postpone the health problems especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.Funding SourcesBrooks College of Health, University of North Florida

Suicidal ideation among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Identifying at-risk subgroups

Given concerns of increased suicide risk among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examined rates of lifetime and past-year suicidal ideation (SI) among university students in Fall 2020 (vs. two earlier semesters), overall and across gender, racial/ethnic background, and sexual identity. Participants included 1700 university students enrolled in a general education psychology course in Fall 2020, Fall 2014, or Fall 2013. Rates of SI were not significantly higher in Fall 2020 versus the earlier semesters and did not differ across racial/ethnic background. However, rates of SI in Fall 2020 were significantly higher among sexual minority than heterosexual students.

Transitioning a Marquee Orientation and Transition Program for Increased New Student Engagement and Retention Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

One mid-sized public flagship institution in the Mountain West was forced to abandon a brand-new marquee orientation and transition program, which had contributed to the first increase in first-time student retention numbers in a decade. As educators around the world were faced with similar challenges, three main concerns arose for this school: cancellation of all in-person instruction and events indefinitely in March 2020, a long-term downward trend in enrollment and retention, and a lack of adequate space to host in-person orientation activities. This paper seeks to discuss the ways in which these obstacles were overcome, and share the important lessons learned for consideration as colleges and universities continue to grapple with the uncertainty of onboarding our next cohort of students in fall 2021.

Comparison of a single day versus a multi-day immunization certificate scheduling for student pharmacists

Background and PurposeThe study objective was to determine differences in student pharmacists' knowledge, confidence, and preferences when the in-class portion of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Immunization Certificate was conducted in two different scheduling formats. Educational Activity and SettingA two-phase, pre-post design was utilized to compare delivery layouts of the certificate program for first-year student pharmacists. In fall 2018, students completed the certificate in eight, one-hour sessions. In fall 2019, students completed the certificate in one, eight-hour session. A pre- and post-survey assessed confidence in immunization-specific skills and scheduling preferences. The APhA self-study and final exams and faculty created knowledge questions were utilized to assess student knowledge before, during, and after the course. FindingsStudent confidence in both fall 2018 and fall 2019 increased significantly between the pre- and post-survey. However, when comparing cohorts, no difference was found in self-confidence or knowledge. Students did tend to show preference for how the course was delivered. Students in fall 2018 slightly leaned towards eight, one-hour sessions (approximately 51%) while students in fall 2019 strongly leaned towards one, eight-hour session (approximately 72%). SummaryVariation in scheduling of the in-class portion of the APhA Immunization Certificate was not associated with a difference in student confidence or knowledge. However, a difference in student preference for delivery was noted. It is important for instructors to consider student preferences along with best pedagogical practices to ensure learning when scheduling formats are selected.