(313) No Need to Rewind the Clock: Reflect, Review, and Retake as In-course Remediation Approaches

Objective : To describe in-course remediation approaches within three required pharmacy courses.

Methods: We will highlight three different strategies utilized within our program. In Principles of Drug Action (PDA), all students are provided the opportunity to retake an exam within small, preassigned applied learning groups. Students who score 95% or greater on the exam retake, receive two bonus points. The group work allows for collaborative learning and reinforcement of key concepts that were missed. One metacognitive approach in Pharmacotherapeutics includes post-exam reflection surveys to evaluate student approach to learning and test taking. Surveys are required for any exam score less than 70% with required faculty meetings for students with more than one non-passing exam score. Within Introduction to Rotations, a practice readiness course, students not achieving 70% on the important 200 medication exams are required to meet with the course coordinator to review study strategies and attend the optional exam reviews. Students are offered the opportunity to retake each exam in a different format.

Results: Details of in-course approaches will be shared from the spring 2022 semester. In the PDA courses, 95% of students participated in the exam retake process and 89% who took the retake exams scored greater than 95%. In the Pharmacotherapeutics series, 19% were required to complete the post-exam reflection for at least one exam and 84% achieved a passing score on the following exam. Within Introduction to Rotations, 88% of students successfully passed the exam retake and had no delay in academic progression.

Conclusions: The Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Pharmacy Program utilizes multiple ways to approach in-course remediation. Three distinct approaches to in-course remediation are outlined.