ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To incorporate Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning into a course and determine whether doing so increased students' knowledge of and interest in healthcare policy. DESIGN: A healthcare policy course for second-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students was redesigned to incorporate activities reflecting Fink's Taxonomy including completing a required reading, outlining the required reading, presenting the outline to a small group of peers, attending lectures, and completing a final policy project and simulation activity. ASSESSMENT: The effectiveness of the course was assessed using a pre-post non-randomized control design, with nursing and social work students serving as the control group. Interest and knowledge scores increased significantly among students in the intervention group. Differences between the low-interest students and the rest of the class identified on the precourse tests were not apparent on the postcourse test. IMPLICATIONS: Applying Fink's Taxonomy to course activities increased students' interest in and importance placed on learning health policy.
