Robert Shrewsbury, School of
Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill,
NC 27599-7360
bob_shrewsbury@unc.edu
A hybrid CD-Internet CD-ROM was developed to give students rapid, on-demand access to web-based course information when outside of the School of Pharmacy. The CD-ROM software efficiently downloaded large multimedia files while students were using telephone modems; the files were stored on and read directly from the CD-ROM. Files requiring less bandwidth were also stored on the CD-ROM, but were automatically updated from the web site through the online connection. The effectiveness of the CD-ROM was assessed by comparing the performance of two academic years of students.
One segment of the Pharmaceutical Care Laboratories consists of compounding exercises. Students can have up to a one week delay between the pre-lab lecture and actual laboratory experience. The CD-ROM was developed to give students a personal resource which allowed them more time to review and assimilate the instruction received in pre-lab lecture. In addition, the CD-ROM was intended to provide more explicit instruction of the finer and more subtle points of the laboratory exercises which could not be covered or clearly demonstrated in the pre-lab lecture.
The expected global outcome was that students would have a greater understanding and therefore efficiency during the actual laboratory experience. The expected specific outcomes were:
Data was collected from the Fall 1998, Spring 1999, Fall 1999, and Spring 2000 first-year Pharmacy (PY1) students. Students in the earlier academic year (1998-1999) did not have the CD-ROM but had paper copies of all laboratory materials. The PY1 students in the more recent academic year (1999-2000) had only the CD-ROM and did not have paper copies of any laboratory materials. The pre-lab lecture content as well as the laboratory experiences remained constant between the two years as much as possible.
The students attended a one hour pre-lab lecture on the Friday prior to the week of lab. For students in the 1998-1999 semesters, the instruction included demonstrations in class and going through the paper copy of the laboratory exercise without the aid of any Internet technology. For students in the 1999-2000 semesters, the instruction included demonstrations in class using the multimedia materials, answering questions, and giving clarifications as needed.
The Survey
In the Fall 1999 semester, 119 students responded to the survey. In the Spring 2000 semester, there were 61 responses. The survey provided information regarding both usage of the CD-ROM and difficulties encountered with this instructional method.
|
|
Fall 1999 |
Spring 2000 |
|
Students Using the CD-ROM |
75
|
51
|
|
Students Not Using the CD-ROM |
25
|
48
|
|
Students Keeping CD-ROM for Future Use |
66
|
62
|
|
Students Experiencing Technical Difficulties |
40
|
26
|
|
Students Printing a Copy of Information |
50
|
49
|
|
Students Who Found the Multimedia Helpful |
41
|
48
|
|
Students Who Found the CD-ROM Provided Additional Information Beyond Pre-lab |
56
|
49
|
Time Needed To Complete The Laboratory Experience
Time logs were kept by the sixteen
PY3 TAs associated with each years' laboratory. The time was the TAs'
estimation of the time required to complete the different laboratory
experiences.
|
Year
|
Lab
2
|
Lab
3
|
Lab
4
|
Lab
6
|
Lab 9
|
|
Fall
1998
|
3.0
± 0.4
|
3.1
± 0.3
|
3.0
± 0.3
|
5.4
± 0.3
|
2.6
± 0.3
|
|
Fall
1999
|
2.4
± 0.4
|
3.1
± 0.2
|
3.1
± 0.2
|
4.3
± 0.8
|
3.3
± 0.4
|
&nb sp; Time in Hours
|
Year
|
Lab 2
|
Lab
3
|
Lab
6
|
|
Spring
1999*
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Spring
2000
|
2.5
± 0.3
|
2.6
± 0.6
|
3.0
± 0.4
|
Grades Received For The Laboratory Experience
Grades were assigned for each laboratory report by the TAs using a grading key provided by the instructor. The instructor served as a resource and an arbitrator. Twenty (20) points were assigned for each lab report.
|
Year
|
Lab
2
|
Lab
3
|
Lab
4
|
Lab
6
|
Lab
7
|
Lab 9
|
Total
|
|
Fall
1998
|
18.2
± 1.4
|
18.6
± 2.7
|
18.2
± 2.4
|
18.2
± 1.9
|
19.0
± 2.6
|
18.0
± 2.2
|
110.2
± 8.0
|
|
Fall
1999
|
17.6
± 3.7
|
18.4
± 1.9
|
17.7
± 2.3
|
17.4
± 3.3
|
16.8
± 4.7
|
17.8
± 2.3
|
104.8
± 15.2
|
|
Year
|
Lab
2
|
Lab
3
|
Lab
6
|
Total
|
|
Spring
1999
|
23.5
± 2.5
|
23.9
± 1.2
|
20.4
± 3.2
|
67.8
± 5.8
|
|
Spring
2000
|
23.2
± 2.2
|
23.1
± 2.7
|
23.3
± 2.2
|
69.4
± 6.7
|
Analytical Grades
The formulations made by the students were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) using contemporary methods. Acceptable results were based on the USP24/NF19 Supplement 1 <795> Pharmacy Compounding guidelines. If the student formulation was outside of the expected range, the student was required to remake the formulation on the Friday afternoon of that lab week under closer supervision from the staff.
Data in this table does not show the units of measurement because some units are concentrations and some units are amounts. The analysis in laboratory 8 involved the determination of osmotic pressure in the students' formulations.
|
Year
|
Lab
2
|
Lab
3
|
Lab
3
|
Lab
6
|
Lab
8
|
|
Fall
1998
|
2.5
± 0.4
|
2.2
± 0.8
|
75.6
± 3.2
|
22.5
± 1.5
|
285.6
± 9.0
|
|
Fall
1999
|
2.5
± 0.6
|
2.7
± 1.2
|
80.0
± 2.6
|
22.0
± 4.1
|
276.7
± 22.1
|
Correlation Between Use Of CD-ROM And Grade
The question of whether using the CD improved grades was addressed by stratifying the grades according to the usage patterns asked on the survey.
|
Semester
and CD-ROM Usage
|
Total
Grade
|
|
Fall 1998 |
|
|
no CD-ROM |
110.2
± 8.0
|
|
Spring 1999 |
|
|
no CD-ROM |
67.8
± 5.8
|
|
Fall 1999 |
|
|
used CD-ROM every time |
108.3
± 6.5
|
|
did not use CD-ROM |
101.0
± 17.4
|
|
CLASS AVERAGE |
104.8
± 15.2
|
|
Spring 2000 |
|
|
used CD-ROM every time |
66.8
± 3.6
|
|
did not use CD-ROM |
70.0
± 4.3
|
|
CLASS AVERAGE |
69.4
± 6.7
|
Analysis of the objective data showed no statistical difference in time, grades, or analytical accuracy between the two classes. Students preferred to either print the material, or view and print the material compared to viewing the material alone.
This is a new teaching method for UNC students. Their reliance on printed materials indicates they are not acclimated to using newer online delivery methods. The full benefit of the CD-ROM delivery system may not be seen immediately, but may take time to impact student learning as students gain experience with this technology based method of instruction.
It will be beneficial to continue to follow the results yearly while students become accustomed to using computer-based learning methods. At this point in their educational process, students may see technology as an added process to learn rather than an assistant to the process. Perhaps some of this "burden" can be lifted by reducing the number of technological difficulties the students experienced.
It is anticipated that there will be an increase in the number of students using the CD-ROM in the future as the Carolina Computer Initiative (CCI) permeates the University environment. It is important for Schools of Pharmacy to usher students into innovative methods of learning in order to facilitate continuing education and lifelong learning. Computer-based learning will facilitate future learning and benefit pharmacists in the years ahead.
Robert P. Shrewsbury © 2000. The author assigns to the University of New Brunswick and other educational and nonprofit institutions a non-exclusive license to use this document for personal use and in courses of instruction provided that the article is used in full and this copyright statement is reproduced. The author also grants a non-exclusive license to the University of New Brunswick to publish this document in full on the World Wide Web and on CD-ROM and in printed form with the conference papers and for the document to be published on mirrors on the World Wide Web.