Dr WEE Hwee Lin
On behalf of the PR1103 team,Department of Pharmacy,Faculty of Science
INCORPORATING WEB-BASED LEARNING IN THE
TEACHING OF PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPOUNDING AND DISPENSING
Principal Investigator:
Dr WEE Hwee Lin, Assistant Professor
Co-investigators:
Miss Tan Mui Ling, Senior Lecturer
Dr Ong Pei Shi, Lecturer
Dr Wong Li Lian, Assistant Professor
Miss Yong Sock Leng, Laboratory Technologist
Co-lecturers:
A/P Chan Sui Yung, Associate Professor
Dr Yau Wai Ping, Lecturer
Web and Video Production Team:
Kenneth Gerard Pinto, Educational Technologist, CIT
Claudine Foo Lay Peng, Principal Media Producer, CIT
THE TEAM
BACKGROUND
Extemporaneous compounding and dispensing is an important skill imparted to pharmacy undergraduates from day 1 of their course
A large variety of dosage forms
Limited contact time Touch-and-go experience
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for better engagement and learning
"Teachers need to integrate technology seamlessly into the curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought, or an event" ~ Heidi-Hayes Jacobs
Image from apple.com
To develop a web-based platform for delivering teaching materials, which students can access anytime, anywhere
Hypothesis: Learning outcomes will be equivalent between web-based and
in-person teaching
OBJECTIVES
STUDY DESIGN – CROSS OVER TRIAL
Groups 1 Group 2 Group 3
Video Series 1 (30 min) Live demo (20 min) View videos before practical class
Make preparation (1 hr)
Make preparation(1 hr)
Make preparation (1 hr)
Live demo (20 min) Video Series 1 (30 min) Survey / Print Labels
Video Series 2 (10 min) Video Series 2 (10 min) Submit preparation
Survey / Print Labels Survey / Print Labels
Submit preparation Submit preparation
All preparations were graded on a scale of 0 to 10 by a single lecturer using a standardized marking scheme developed by all teaching staff in the module.
Baseline Surveys administered in class
Section 1: quality of the videos, level of confidence in making the preparations just by viewing the videos, preferred place and time for viewing the videos in preparation for the weekly practical classes, preferred place and time for viewing the videos in preparation for the practical test.
Section 2: completed by students in Groups 1 and 2 only. Quality of the live demonstration, level of confidence in making the preparations just by viewing the live demonstration.
Section 3: Preferred to have the videos only, live demonstration only or both video and live demonstration.
Two open-ended questions for students to provide additional feedback on the videos and live demonstrations, respectively.
STUDY DESIGN
6-week follow up survey administered through IVLE
Section 1: Experience with accessing the course website, whether they encountered any problems and whether they received timely help if they did, the average frequency of accessing the course website prior to class, when and how (type of device) they accessed the course website, and whether the instructions that were uploaded onto IVLE before each practical class were timely and appropriate.
Section 2: Whether the online information were sufficient, whether a briefing before the beginning of each practical class was necessary, whether they preferred small group debrief or big group debrief.
STUDY DESIGN
INFORMED CONSENT
I have been given an explanation of the purpose of this study and consent to take part in this study.
I am aware that if I refuse to take part in this study, my grades for this and other modules will not be affected in any way.
Matriculation No.: __________________
Signature: _________________________
http://courseware.nus.edu.sg/pharmacy-practice/
Items to View
Series 1
Weighing using the electronic weighing balance
Geometric mixing of powders
Pestle and Mortar mixing of powders
Spatula mixing of powders
Calculations for capsule
Correct technique of filling capsules from glass slab
Series 2
Printing label
Pasting labels on containers containing capsules
RESULTS – QUALITY OF PREPARATION
Same median score of 9 for all groups; wider distribution for Group 3
210 students participated (response rate: 100%) 60.5% female
Previous exposure to IT-based active learning and self-evaluated IT savviness is similar across the three groups
A significantly lower proportion of students in Group 1 compared to the other two groups felt that the instructions were very clear (p=0.002).
RESULTS - BASELINE SURVEY
29.6%
58.0%
51.4%
Instructions were very clear
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
A significantly lower proportion of students in Group 1 compared to the other two groups felt that the instructions were complete (p=0.002).
No statistically significant differences for the following: Got a very clear view of the various steps involved in making the
preparation
Felt quite confident to make the preparations just by viewing the videos
RESULTS - BASELINE SURVEY
63.4%
87.0%
80.0%
Instructions were complete
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
For the purpose of completing the weekly practical assignments 60% preferred online anytime viewing of videos
17% preferred online anytime and in the laboratory, just before class
For the purpose of preparing for the practical test 76% preferred online anytime viewing of videos
17% preferred online anytime and in the laboratory, a day before the test
RESULTS - BASELINE SURVEY
Students overwhelmingly indicated that they would like both videos and live demonstration (86.4%) and the responses were similar between the two groups
RESULTS - BASELINE SURVEY
“Still prefer having live demonstrations at the start of each practical. There’s something about being able to ask questions to clarify and communicate with the Profs that is sorely lacking in videos. Then again the videos were a good way to provide fundamental skills and knowledge such as geometric mixing, hence I feel that a combination of both would provide a much more effective platform for students to learn. Both help in different ways and synergizes with each other. I really appreciate the time the faculty spent on the videos though! Thank you!”
RESULTS – STUDENT FEEDBACK
All staff enjoyed conducting the live demonstration.
Even though few students actually asked questions during the demonstration, they felt that they were able to dish out more advice to the students through live demonstration.
Furthermore, the staff also observed that they had to intervene less frequently to correct wrong techniques among students in Group 2 who viewed the live demonstration first compared to students in Groups 1 and 3.
RESULTS – STAFF FEEDBACK
70 students participated (response rate: 30%)
Majority of students accessed the course website using a Windows laptop (47.1%) or Windows desktop (22.8%). Only 5 students (7.0%) assessed the course website using a tablet or smartphone. The rest (19.9%) used either a Macintosh desktop or laptop.
Majority of students (62.8%) did not have problem accessing the course website. Among those who did, 12.8% received timely resolution to their problem most of the time.
50% of students viewed the videos twice before coming to class and 50% of students viewed the videos on the day before class.
RESULTS – FOLLOW-UP SURVEY
Majority of students (62.8%) moderately agreed that the preparatory information which were uploaded onto IVLE before each practical class were sufficient to help them prepare for the class with 90% stating that the materials were uploaded on time.
57.1% of students felt that the briefings conducted before the start of the practical class were necessary as they highlighted things that were not covered in the courseware website while 37.1% felt that the briefings were useful because they helped students recall the important points covered in the courseware website.
RESULTS – FOLLOW-UP SURVEY
68.5% of students preferred a small group debrief compared to 20% of students who preferred large group debrief.
One student commented that “Both were helpful. The small group debrief would be more interactive and personalized, while the big group debrief ensured a holistic look on the common mistakes made.”
Another student commented that “Small class debrief has varied results as some Profs highlight more/different things, hence there's the feeling of having missed out some point which might be important. I would hence prefer big class debrief.”
RESULTS – FOLLOW-UP SURVEY
Devote plenty of time to planning
Prepare the video scripts with extreme care and provide the minutest details Remember that the video crew has no clue about the preparations/
experiments
Facilitates re-shoot to ensure that the procedures were repeated in the exact manner.
Identify in advance a suitable time to carry out the filming Book venue and video crew
Blackout periods: Commencement, Lessons, Exams, etc
Test, test again and test again and again on multiple platforms
LEARNING POINTS
Incorporating web-based learning provided an opportunity for ICT-based blended learning in the area of pharmaceutical compounding and dispensing
CONCLUSIONS
Dr Adrian Michael Lee, Department of Chemistry, for sharing his experience in setting up a similar courseware website
Pharmacy undergraduates who participated in the survey
Graduate talents
Video crew
CDTL Teaching Enhancement Grant
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT