Assessment of the impact of co-curricular activities on achievement of Doctor of Pharmacy program outcomes

Abstract

Introduction: Co-curricular activities are recognized as an increasingly important aspect of pharmacy education. However, the impact of these activities on student learning is not well understood compared to that of curricular learning. The purpose of this study was to assess student-perceived progress in achieving program outcomes through voluntary co-curricular activities compared with learning of the same outcomes through mandatory curricular activities.

Methods: The study was performed over six semesters between fall 2017 and spring 2020 at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy. Separate surveys were sent to all first- through third-year doctor of pharmacy students each semester to assess the impact of curricular and co-curricular activities on improvement in six program outcomes. Graduating student survey data were also mapped to learning outcomes to assess improvement of these outcomes upon graduation.

Results: Three main results emerged from these data. First, there was greater variation in the impact of co-curricular activities on different learning outcomes compared to the effect of curricular activities on the same outcomes. Second, co-curricular activities had a greater impact on "soft skills," including leadership and professionalism, compared to concrete knowledge in areas such as therapeutic mechanisms. Finally, the impact of co-curricular activities on most learning outcomes diminished with progression through the curriculum while the impact of curricular activities remained relatively constant.

Conclusions: Student-perceived improvement in learning of program outcomes differs when based on co-curricular compared to curricular activities. These results show how these activities can complement each other in achievement of program outcomes.

Keywords: Co-curricular; Curricular; Learning outcomes; PharmD; Survey.