(300) Implementation of an academic literacy program to increase student success and retention

Objective : Increased rigor in pharmacy schools has required proactive approaches to enhancing student academic literacy and study skills to improve student retention. Thus, the objective of this project was to describe the implementation of one school’s academic literacy program.

Methods: An academic success program called Boost! was developed to offer activities for metacognition (i.e., StrengthsFinder, personality, conflict resolution style, and learning style assessments) and academic literacy (i.e., breaking down terms and information). Additionally, it offered study skill strategies such as summarizing, creating an outline and concept maps, and comparing and contrasting two research texts. Administered as a 6-week asynchronous module (approximately 8 hours of content), students who were identified as potentially struggling with academic literacy using a validated rubric were required to complete Boost! in the summer prior to the first professional year. Program success was evaluated through a journal club activity and a parallel test to the academic literacy assessment that was used for identification. Student perceptions of Boost! were qualitatively assessed using semi-structured interviews to determine strengths and opportunities for improvement.

Results: Since Summer 2021, 6 students have completed Boost!; 4 have progressed on time, and 5 have been retained. Three of the students demonstrated improvement on the post-program assessment. Perceptions of Boost! have been positive both from participants and non-participants of the program (N=22 interviews), with widespread interest in participation.

Conclusions: Boost! may be an effective approach to enhance student retention by providing training in certain necessary skills for academic literacy. It was well received by students, but more student participation may be necessary to assess continued success and retention.