(121) Assessment of Improved Knowledge of Over-the-Counter Drugs Utilizing a Group Learning Activity

Objective : To evaluate students’ performance and satisfaction based on a weekly group project learning Over-the-Counter (OTC) drug cards in a large required course.

Methods: Five OTC drugs were chosen from the Top 100 Nonprescription Drugs Cards based on the topic covered. In each online session, students were randomly assigned to a group of 5. Each student presented information about one drug card and created a short case study and a multiple-choice question related to that drug. Each student submitted the case and a multiple-choice question weekly. Five selected questions from the assigned drugs were included in their scheduled examinations. Students also took a pre- and post-test to measure the change in knowledge and were surveyed on their satisfaction with the learning activity.

Results: Of 176 students enrolled, 155 consented to participation. Sixty percent had a lot or some pharmacy work experience with the majority coming from community (49%) or hospital (21%) settings. Students' mean test scores increased following the weekly project (pre-47%, post-80%). The majority consistently submitted their cases and questions (92%) and participated in online class discussions (86%). Students reported project usefulness in terms of: knowledge improvement (73%), questions/case creation (69%), online small group discussions (64%), learning through teaching others (64%), learning by listening to others (60%), student-created questions incorporated on exams (59%).

Conclusions: Students overall found the project useful in learning OTC drugs but addressed concerns about participating in randomly assigned groups and encountering student-created questions on examinations. As expected, teaching others enhanced their knowledge more than listening to peers. At the end of the project, their knowledge of OTC drugs improved based on the pre- and post-test results.