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Using Peer‐assisted Learning in a Pharmacology Undergraduate Research Program to Enhance Student Engagement and Performance
Author(s) -
KempHarper Barbara Kathryn,
Drummond Grant Raymond,
Davis Elizabeth Anne
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.810.3
Subject(s) - coursework , class (philosophy) , task (project management) , medical education , student engagement , inclusion (mineral) , computer science , mathematics education , psychology , medicine , engineering , artificial intelligence , social psychology , systems engineering
The coursework component of the Pharmacology undergraduate research program at Monash University comprises the critical analysis of a scientific paper under exam conditions. Traditionally, teacher‐led tutorials were utilised to highlight pharmacological techniques, experimental design and data analysis. However, although students were given opportunities to undertake practice exams, overall performance in the assessment task has been relatively poor. Aims The current study aimed to revise the learning activities associated with the literature critique exam to encourage student engagement and improve performance. Methods In 2013, a tutorial program was implemented which involved peer learning groups such that groups of 4–5 students critiqued components of a scientific paper, presented their findings to the class and lead class discussion. In 2014, to further align the learning activity (group work) with the assessment task (individual work), the exam format was changed to incorporate a peer‐assisted learning component. Students were given the opportunity to discuss the scientific paper with their peers for 30 minutes before being given the exam questions which were then completed under usual exam conditions. The 2014 exam paper was identical to the 2013 paper. In 2015, a new exam paper was used yet the format remained unchanged, with the inclusion of a peer‐assisted learning component. Evaluation of the effectiveness of this change in tutorial and exam format, was via comparison of the exam results and a student feedback survey at the end of the unit. Results Students entering the Honours program in 2012–2015 had a similar background knowledge in pharmacology with the average mark in the foundation 3 rd year pharmacology unit ranging from 73.2 ± 10% (n=14, 2015) to 78.0 ± 8.1% (n=19, 2012). Following the 2013 revision of the tutorial format from ‘teacher‐led’ to ‘peer‐assisted’, there was no change in the exam marks (2013: 65.7 ± 9.9%; 2012: 63.4 ± 10.2%). However, the majority of students strongly agreed that the peer‐group format of the tutorials enhanced their learning. The introduction of the peer group discussion at the start of the 2014 exam appeared to increase exam performance (74.0 ± 7.3%, n=14), an effect which was sustained in 2015 (72.9 ± 5.3%, n=14). Conclusion Our results suggest that the inclusion of peer‐assisted learning in both the learning activities and assessment task may increase the level of engagement of students and improve their critical analysis skills. Support or Funding Information Department of Pharmacology, Monash University