(207) Current practices of using students’ course evaluations for programmatic improvement across pharmacy programs

Objective : Limited information exists on how course evaluations in pharmacy programs are developed, administered, and utilized for programmatic improvements. The objective of this study was to describe the purpose, implementation, and perceived utility of course evaluations in pharmacy programs.

Methods: A 34-item survey was developed from a literature review, underwent multiple rounds of editing, and pre-tested until consensus was reached. The final survey was sent to 139 assessment leads of pharmacy programs using Qualtrics with three reminders and a personal follow-up. Descriptive statistics were performed in SPSS.

Results: Of the 86 respondents, 40% developed their own course evaluation instrument. The majority (63%) managed the course evaluation process themselves, while 27% collaborated with the university. Students completed evaluations while the course was in progress (45%) or within one week of completion (50%). All students were offered the opportunity to complete course evaluations at most schools (95%), with voluntary completion (88%) and no incentives (63%). Results were typically released after final grades were posted (93%), in time to use for the next semester of teaching (76%). Programs used results for annual performance reviews by chairs (94%) and committee-related continuous quality improvement efforts (72%). Most programs did not have faculty guidance on using evaluations (79%) nor provided development/mentoring (56%); only 24% of programs offered student development on completing course evaluations.

Conclusions: While programs receive students’ feedback from course evaluations, there was a lack of clear guidance on using the feedback for guiding or providing faculty development efforts. A more robust process to optimize the use of course evaluations should be developed.