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Experiential Education

(372) Equitable Impacts of Coaching Reports on Pre-PharmD Students Self-Directed Learning and Pharmaceutical Science Exam Performance

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Trainee Category: Student Pharmacist

    Primary Author(s)

  • HH

    Hannah Hoffmann

    Undergraduate Research Assistant
    The Ohio State University
    Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • ND

    Nicholas L. Denton, PhD

    Principal Investigator
    Ohio State University
    Columbus, Ohio, United States

    • Trainee Competition Judge(s)

  • AT

    Amy Thompson

    Clinical Associate Professor
    University of Michigan

  • NF

    Norm Fenn

    Clinical Assistant Professor
    Manchester University

  • Andrea L. Porter, PharmD (she/her/hers)

    Associate Professor
    University of Wisconsin - Madison, School of Pharmacy
    Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Objective : The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of metacognitive coaching reports on Pre-PharmD students exam performance and persistence in the pharmaceutical sciences.

Methods: Investigators captured exam performance in pharmaceutical science content and exit survey data from BSPS students enrolled in a pharmaceutical sciences course from AU19-SP22, with AU19-SP20 providing historic controls prior to implementing individualized coaching reports. From AU20 to SP21, investigators originally implemented Examsoft coaching reports for 3 high-stakes exams. From AU21-SP22 investigators implemented 6 low-stakes exams with metacognitive coaching added to the reports.

Results: Exam performance scores indicated steady to dramatic improvement in all content areas following the AU21 iteration including metacognitive coaching and low stake exam coaching reports. Pharmaceutics content saw the most dramatic improvement, with >15% increase in correct answers. Student performance improved on categories of Bloom’s Taxonomy, with “Remember” and “Evaluate” driven questions seeing a 5-10% increase in correct answers. Metacognitive coaching revealed study strategies like randomized, repeat practice and study groups demonstrated increased studying efficiency with higher incidence of students reporting earning a satisfactory grade with satisfactory time management.

Conclusions: ExamSoft’s individualized metacognitive coaching reports have positively impacted student examination scores across several different content areas. Preliminary data indicates that first generation, along with BIPOC students, are more positively impacted by this tool, creating more equitable gains in their exam performance. As more data is analyzed, deeper insights into the equitable impact of ExamSoft software will be determined.