The impact of weekly multicourse collective exams on pharmacy student academic behaviors and learning in an integrated biological sciences course

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program curricula are typically comprised of heavy course loads and assessment burden. Typically, students "live" from exam to exam only preparing and studying for the exam directly ahead of them while neglecting concurrent courses. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the impact of weekly multicourse collective exams academic behaviors and learning in an integrated biological sciences (BSI) course within a PharmD program. Weekly multicourse exams included questions, four per credit hour, from all first semester courses that traditionally included summative exams. Seven courses contributed questions, which amounted to 15 weekly exams of ∼60 questions. No other graded assessments were given in any of the courses, other than individual course cumulative final exams; the final exams in each course were not collective. After completion of final exams, a Qualtrics survey was emailed to all students and the two professors teaching the course. Course grades, not including the final exam, were compared between two cohorts with or without the collective exams to determine impact on learning. The cumulative final exam was compared between cohorts to determine impact on retention. The majority of students agreed or strongly agreed that the weekly collective exams encouraged them to study BSI more frequently, most days of the week, reduced the likelihood of skipping class, and increased likelihood to pay attention and engage in class. The majority believed that they better learned and retained the BSI material. The majority specified that they liked the collective exams for BSI and preferred it over a traditional exam schedule. Learning also appeared to be improved. However, the impact on retention is less clear and requires further research. In conclusion, the weekly multicourse collective exams improved academic behaviors and learning.