Abstract
The purpose of the chapter is to illustrate instructional models that were implemented by Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. While the second half of Spring 2020 was completely online (statewide shutdown), the university remained open in a hybrid manner for the 2020-21 academic year. There are three sections in the chapter: didactic, interprofessional, and advanced pharmacy practice experiences. The didactic section discusses course delivery methods and active learning, office hours, remote testing, student feedback, and contingency planning. The interprofessional section illustrates some of the school's synchronous and asynchronous interprofessional learning activities before and during the COVID-pandemic, as well as interprofessional education assessment methods. The last section of the chapter discusses how advanced pharmacy practice experience “direct patient care” was redefined, examples of the experiences, and contingency plans that were put into place to ensure on-time graduation for the classes of 2020 and 2021 pharmacy students.
TopCourse Model Redesign
Issues, Controversies, Problems
Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy, like all educational institutions and programs, faced the challenge of managing the logistics and safety protocols for teaching and assessing content traditionally delivered in classroom, laboratory, and experiential settings. Of equal importance to managing the logistics required for social distancing, the school had to safeguard the achievement of student learning outcomes and compliance with applicable regional and professional accreditation standards. The authors will discuss modifications to the school’s didactic and laboratory courses, interprofessional activities, and advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Canvas: Well-known web-based learning management system used in higher education.
IPEC: Interprofessional Education Collaborative.
Active Learning: The incorporation of instructional activities within a curriculum that requires students to perform an activity and reflect upon what they are doing.
HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. A federal law that required the development of national standards to secure patient health information and to not share that information without prior patient consent.
Hybrid Learning: A blended instructional approach where the didactic material is presented in an online and in-person format.
SACSCOC: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, a regional university-level accreditation agency.
IPPEs: Introductory pharmacy practice experiences. During the didactic portion of a PharmD curriculum, these are primarily off-campus courses in which students gain initial hands-on pharmacy practice experiences. Depending on the pharmacy school, these experiences may occur in the fall, spring, and/or summer.
APPEs: Advanced pharmacy practice experiences. Course series that occurs after all required didactic courses and introductory pharmacy practice experiences are complete. APPEs are typically 4-6 weeks long and occur in the last one or two years of a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. The APPEs at this school are 5 weeks in length.
IPE: Interprofessional education. Education that includes learning from, about, and with students and professionals in other disciplines. The disciplines are generally healthcare professions.
CHS: College of Health Sciences.
ACPE: Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, a professional pharmacy program accreditor.