Comparison of Pharmacy Students' Performance in a Laboratory Course Delivered Live Versus by Virtual Facilitation

Objective. To compare academic performance in and students' perceptions of an outpatient pharmacy practice laboratory course taught in a traditional laboratory setting vs by virtual facilitation. Methods. An outpatient pharmacy practice laboratory course was taught in a traditional live laboratory setting to 69 students on two campuses in 2016. A year later, the same course was taught via synchronous virtual (ie, remote) facilitation using an internet-based video and chat conference room for communication across two campuses to 91 students. Students' academic performance was evaluated based on major assessments, individual test questions, and final course grades. A course and instructor evaluation were administered to each group of students at the conclusion of each course offering. Results. Students who completed the live traditional laboratory (2016) had a mean final course grade of 90.1%, while students who completed the virtually facilitated laboratory course (2017) had a mean final course grade of 89.6%. The mean score on course evaluations completed by students in the virtually facilitated course was lower. The difference in scores between individual course and instructor evaluations between 2016 to 2017 was not significant. There was no significant difference found between students’ grades on the midterm and final objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) and written assessment questions between 2016 and 2017. Conclusion. Students who completed the live traditional laboratory course and those who completed the course in the virtually facilitated setting performed well. Course evaluations revealed student satisfaction with the course and instructor in both settings. These findings suggest that a virtually facilitated laboratory course does not hinder student performance and provides a similar experience as a traditional classroom.