A case study on the perspectives of University of Santo Tomas pharmacy professors on the influence of online classes in pharmacy education

ABSTRACT

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the academic environment into distance learning. In the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Pharmacy, an Enriched Virtual Mode of Learning was used to deliver the online teaching and learning process. This study aimed to determine the influences that online learning had on the standard of pharmacy education. Methods: A qualitative case study research design was utilised and gathered the perspectives of eight UST pharmacy professors. Results: During thematic analysis, several themes were identified which were rooted in the ten key components of online learning. Conclusions: The study concluded that online learning had more negative influences than positive influences on pharmacy education. Regarding pharmacy courses, the Quality Control, Microbiology, and Public Health clusters were identified as the most difficult to teach online while the Biochemistry and Pharmacognosy clusters were the least. Recommended adjustments to improve learning outcomes focused on enhanced review methods during the course audit.