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Students’ perceived predictors of an effective active learning/problem‐based learning session: a pilot study
Author(s) -
Jacob Sabrina A.,
Khan Tahir M.,
Pusparajah Priyia,
Velu Saraswati S.,
Lee Learn Han,
Davey Tamzyn M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of pharmacy practice and research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 2055-2335
pISSN - 1445-937X
DOI - 10.1002/jppr.1150
Subject(s) - session (web analytics) , tutor , problem based learning , medical education , pharmacy , medicine , context (archaeology) , active learning (machine learning) , pedagogy , psychology , nursing , computer science , paleontology , world wide web , biology , artificial intelligence
: Active learning ( AL )/problem‐based learning ( PBL ) has been shown to improve the reasoning, communication and team‐work skills of students. However, the success of AL / PBL tends to vary depending on local context and culture. We undertook a study to assess pharmacy students' current experience, expectations and level of understanding of AL / PBL . A focus group discussion involving ten Year‐4 pharmacy students was conducted in Malaysia. Three key themes emerged: expectations of the AL / PBL session, tutor characteristics and cultural issues. The students expected that the AL / PBL session should help them apply their knowledge in real‐life clinical situations. They also felt that the personality of the tutor was the key to the success of AL / PBL , and that Asians were more hesitant to participate in AL / PBL sessions. AL / PBL has the potential to be effective provided the sessions are carefully planned, and tutors are well trained in the context of local culture.