Background and purpose: Given the proliferation of distance learning in pharmacy education, the ability to conduct journal club in this setting warrants examination. This paper will describe the development of a journal club assignment at a distance-education (DE) college of pharmacy.
Educational activity and setting: A group journal club (JC) assignment at a DE college of pharmacy was modified to require recorded presentations in order to decrease the number of evaluators and recover lost classroom teaching time. The process utilized during the modification and opportunities and challenges encountered are described. Mean project grades, course grades, and grades between campuses were collected in the recorded-presentation period. The number of evaluators and hours of available lecture time were documented before and after modification. Starting in 2013, student perception of the JC experience was gathered via two post-class survey questions.
Findings: The recording of JCs in the distance-learning environment was initiated in 2010 and continued through 2017. A total of 1463 students completed the course during this time. Project and course grades averaged 89.06% (±1.83) and 86.5% (±2.27), respectively; project grade averages were similar across campuses. Following modification, evaluators decreased from an average of 15 to 1.5 and available lecture time increased by six hours. Students from 2013 through 2017 agreed that the JC project was reflective of course content (90.14%) and valuable (82.66%).
Summary: Using recordings to have students complete a JC project in a DE environment increased available lecture time, maintained grading consistency, and provided value to students.
Keywords: Distance education; Drug information; Journal club; Literature evaluation; Pharmacy education; PowerPoint; Teaching.
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