Medicinal chemistry curriculum and pedagogical practices at Canadian pharmacy schools: Towards standardization of practice.

INTRODUCTION: Medicinal chemistry instruction in PharmD programs at Canadian universities is considered an important foundational science. However, with few guidelines for the required content most programs have observed a decrease in hours of medicinal chemistry instruction. A Medicinal Chemistry Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed to address these issues nationally and initiated a pan-Canadian environmental scan to better understand the depth and breadth of medicinal chemistry instruction. METHODS: The SIG carried out an environmental scan to identify medicinal chemistry content, delivery and assessments in PharmD programs in Canada. RESULTS: Core medicinal chemistry concepts across the PharmD programs are in general agreement with those listed by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Medicinal chemistry was typically taught as didactic lectures either as a standalone course or within a pharmacology course, although one program integrated some medicinal chemistry within therapeutics focused problem-based learning. There was no consistent time in program where medicinal chemistry occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The SIG found that similar medicinal chemistry content is taught across all Canadian PharmD programs, but incorporation of medicinal chemistry in therapeutics courses was minimal. Core concepts within six high-level overarching themes that guide our collective instruction were identified. The core concepts require developing high-level cognitive processes such as knowledge application and synthesis that practicing pharmacists are expected to possess for entry to practice. We the authors posit that in addition to providing a unique tool for pharmacists to employ in therapeutic decision-making, medicinal chemistry also provides early practice of important problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Interrogating Our Views on the Impact of Education-Related Scholarship.

From junior faculty members to seasoned full professors, pharmacy educators have likely all felt pressure to focus on peer-reviewed publication. Although publication is an important part of an academician's work, have we missed something critical by not focusing greater attention on a more inclusive conceptualization of education-related scholarship's impact? How can we describe the full impact of our education-related scholarship beyond traditional metrics (ie, publications, presentations, and grant funding) if the issue is not critically examined? With the growing expectations for scholarly teaching and interest in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in academic pharmacy in both the United States and Canada, this commentary examines and questions the current, often narrow, views on pharmacy educators' scholarly impact. In addition, it provides a new definition of education-related impact to encourage a more expansive view.

A Tool for Creating Snapshots of Faculty Contributions to Pharmacy Education.

Most faculty members' contributions to pharmacy education are significant but often challenging to document and describe. In addition, contributions may go unrecognized or rewarded unless the work results in a publication or presentation. Drawing on a metaphor of the importance of a fisher taking a photo to capture memories of a successful fishing trip, this commentary examines methods for faculty to identify and organize their academic contributions. Frameworks and a visual tool are presented to assist pharmacy educators in thinking systematically about the full breadth of education contributions. Using the frameworks and visualization tool provided, a more complete picture of education contributions can be developed, allowing educators to create visual "snapshots" of their work for others to see and appreciate.

Guiding Ethics Review in Pharmacy Education Research and Scholarship at UBC: Clarifying the Unclear.

While it goes without saying that ethically sound practices are imperative for high-quality educational scholarship, institutional ethics guidance is often unclear about how to treat educational scholarship generally, and quality improvement/assurance studies and the scholarship of teaching and learning, specifically. Amongst health profession education researchers, including those in pharmacy, this lack of clarity has led to confusion regarding existing ethics governance and ambivalence regarding ethics requirements. Drawing on the experiences of one pharmacy school in western Canada, this commentary describes an ethics vetting guide developed explicitly to address current uncertainty about ethics requirements for pharmacy education scholarship. Clarifying the problem, describing the guide, and exploring what was learned along the way provide a basis for re-centering ethics in the development of scholarly projects and decision-making regarding formal ethics review. The importance of instilling ethical intelligence, delineating research from quality improvement/assurance work, and addressing current gaps in ethics oversight and governance of educational scholarship are among key lessons learned during guide development along with suggestions for new institutional ethics guidance directly targeting educational scholarship to supplement current national guidelines.

Lecture capture in pharmacy education at UBC: Updating our understanding.

INTRODUCTION: Lecture capture is a contemporary learning technology used to improve the quality of professional programs such as pharmacy. Building on our 2014 study, the objective of this study was to reexamine the value of lecture capture for student and faculty users and make decisions about its continuance and optimization. METHODS: Survey methodology was used to gather student and faculty perspectives on the lecture recordings. Collected data focused on usage, learning impacts, and attendance. Lecture capture software provided analytics on student viewing patterns. The constant comparative method was used to analyze student and faculty comments for underlying themes and data discrepancies. RESULTS: Following an evolutionary development path, lecture capture has become a mainstream learning resource for students and faculty. Student usage has increased dramatically and strategically. In addition to enhancing in-class experiences, study effectiveness, and overall learning, students continue to claim minimal impacts on attendance. Faculty perspectives remain modest. While faculty recognize the learning benefits for students and are prepared to continue using lecture recordings, issues related to absenteeism are increasingly troublesome. Faculty are also using lecture recordings for faculty development purposes. CONCLUSIONS: Faculty have renewed their commitment to the lecture capture program going forward. Importantly, the study has helped refocus the evolution of the program away from binary questions such as whether or not to use lecture recordings and the impacts of lecture capture on attendance and towards specific guidance for students and faculty on the best use of the resource and deeper questions about student learning.

A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Teaching and Learning Technology in a Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Objective. To conduct a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of investment in teaching and learning technology (TLT) by a college of pharmacy in a large, research-intensive university in Canada. Methods. Document analysis was used to determine the goals and objectives of the university and college for TLT use. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with faculty members to understand their perspectives on the value of technology for teaching and learning, their metrics to assess value, and an estimate of social value using a willingness to pay (WTP) exercise. A CBA was used to compare the social value against the cost of the investment in TLT. Results. Twenty-one faculty members participated in semi-structured interviews. National, university, and college goals for TLT were diffuse and nonspecific in terms of the intended use or the metrics by which implementation and impacts on the quality of teaching could be assessed. The mean WTP for this technology was Can$4.38M and the cost of investment was Can$4.25M. The primary analysis showed a small positive net benefit of the investment (Can$134,456), although this difference was not significant. All dollar figures are given in Canadian dollars (CAD). Conclusion. The college's monetary investment in TLT was approximately equal to the social value placed on TLT by faculty users. Conducting a CBA on technology can bring greater understanding among faculty members of the college's curriculum and pedagogical practices as well as financial decision-making. Greater clarity about the goals and objectives for TLT could help to maximize the value of investment in this area.

Student and faculty member perspectives on lecture capture in pharmacy education.

OBJECTIVES: To examine faculty members' and students' use and perceptions of lecture recordings in a previously implemented lecture-capture initiative. METHODS: Patterns of using lecture recordings were determined from software analytics, and surveys were conducted to determine awareness and usage, effect on attendance and other behaviors, and learning impact. RESULTS: Most students and faculty members were aware of and appreciated the recordings. Students' patterns of use changed as the novelty wore off. Students felt that the recordings enhanced their learning, improved their in-class engagement, and had little effect on their attendance. Faculty members saw little difference in students' grades or in-class engagement but noted increased absenteeism. CONCLUSION: Students made appropriate use of recordings to support their learning, but faculty members generally did not make active educational use of the recordings. Further investigation is needed to understand the effects of lecture recordings on attendance. Professional development activities for both students and faculty members would help maximize the learning benefits of the recordings.

Informed shared decision making: An exploratory study in pharmacy / Toma de decisones informadas compartidas: estudio exploratorio en farmacia

Introduction: A study was undertaken to examine the feasibility of using the physician-based Informed Shared Decision Making (ISDM) framework for teaching pharmacy students competencies to effectively develop therapeutic relationships with patients. Objectives: To: (1) assess the relevance and importance of the physician-developed ISDM competencies for pharmacy practice, (2) determine which competencies would be easiest and hardest to practice, (3) identify barriers to implementing ISDM in pharmacy practice, and (4) identify typical situations in which ISDM is or could be practiced. Methods: Twenty pharmacists representing 4 different practices were interviewed using a standardized interview protocol. Results: Pharmacists acknowledged that majority of the physician-based competencies were relevant to pharmacy practice; although not all competencies were considered to be most important. Competency #1 (Develop a partnership with the patient) was found to be the most relevant, the most important and the easiest to practice of all the competencies. While no one competency was identified as being hard to practice, there were several barriers identified to practicing ISDM. Finally, pharmacists expressed that patients with chronic conditions would be the most ideal for engaging in ISDM. Conclusion: While pharmacists believed that the ISDM model could provide a framework for pharmacists to develop therapeutic relationships with their patients, the group also identified obstacles to engaging successfully in this relationship (AU)

Introducción: Se realizó un estudio para examinar la factibilidad de usar un entorno de Toma de Decisiones Informadas Compartidas (TDIC) de los médicos para enseñar a los estudiantes de farmacia competencias para desarrollar relaciones con los pacientes de modo efectivo. Objetivo: (1) evaluar la relevancia y la importancia de la TDIC de los médicos para el ejercicio de la farmacia, (2) determinar que competencias serían las más fáciles y las más difíciles para la farmacia, (3) identificar barreras para la implantación de la TDIC en el ejercicio de la farmacia, y (4) identificar situaciones típicas en las que la TDIC se ejerce o podría. Métodos: Se entrevistó a 20 farmacéuticos de diferentes ejercicios utilizando un protocolo estandarizado. Resultados: Los farmacéuticos reconocieron que la mayoría de las competencias de los médicos eran relevantes al ejercicio de la farmacia; aunque no todas las competencias fueron consideradas como las más importantes. La competencia #1 (Desarrollar una colaboración con el paciente) fue calificada como las más relevante, la más importante y la más fácil para el ejercicio de todas las competencias. Mientras que ninguna competencia fue considerada como difícil de ejercer, se identificaron varias barreras para el ejercicio de la TDIC. Finalmente, los farmacéuticos expresaron que los pacientes con enfermedades crónicas serían los ideales para incorporar en la TDIC. Conclusión: Aunque los farmacéuticos creyeron que el modelo TDIC podría proporcionar un marco para desarrollar relaciones terapéuticas con sus pacientes, el grupo también identificó obstáculos para iniciar con éxito esta relación (AU)

Informed shared decision making: An exploratory study in pharmacy.

INTRODUCTION: A study was undertaken to examine the feasibility of using the physician-based Informed Shared Decision Making (ISDM) framework for teaching pharmacy students competencies to effectively develop therapeutic relationships with patients. OBJECTIVES: TO: (1) assess the relevance and importance of the physician-developed ISDM competencies for pharmacy practice, (2) determine which competencies would be easiest and hardest to practice, (3) identify barriers to implementing ISDM in pharmacy practice, and (4) identify typical situations in which ISDM is or could be practiced. METHODS: Twenty pharmacists representing 4 different practices were interviewed using a standardized interview protocol. RESULTS: Pharmacists acknowledged that majority of the physician-based competencies were relevant to pharmacy practice; although not all competencies were considered to be most important. Competency #1 (Develop a partnership with the patient) was found to be the most relevant, the most important and the easiest to practice of all the competencies. While no one competency was identified as being hard to practice, there were several barriers identified to practicing ISDM. Finally, pharmacists expressed that patients with chronic conditions would be the most ideal for engaging in ISDM. CONCLUSION: While pharmacists believed that the ISDM model could provide a framework for pharmacists to develop therapeutic relationships with their patients, the group also identified obstacles to engaging successfully in this relationship.

Using remote access to scientific instrumentation to create authentic learning activities in pharmaceutical analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To pilot test and evaluate a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) case study as a teaching and learning tool. DESIGN: A case study incorporating remote access to a GCMS instrument through the Integrated Laboratory Network (ILN) at Western Washington University was developed and implemented. Student surveys, faculty interviews, and examination score data were used to evaluate learning. ASSESSMENT: While the case study did not impact final examination scores, approximately 70% of students and all faculty members felt the ILN-supported case study improved student learning about GCMS. Faculty members felt the "live" instrument access facilitated more authentic teaching. Students and faculty members felt the ILN should continue to be developed as a teaching tool. CONCLUSION: Remote access to scientific instrumentation can be used to modify case studies to enhance student learning and teaching practice in pharmaceutical analysis.