Pharmacy Faculty Really Care

This past semester my pharmacy peers and I were guinea pigs for a new teaching format called TBL (team based learning). TBL requires more independent learning and peer teaching through weekly quizzes and group case discussions. The new format leaves the student more accountable for their own learning and the information to be taught.

Change is really hard for anyone, especially an entire class of pharmacy students who have been learning the same way for years. For the past four years we have all been used to lectures, powerpoints, and assignments so transitioning to TBL was no easy task. The premise of TBL teaching seemed great but the entire class encountered many bumps, hiccups, and stings throughout the semester with the new style. The bad experiences gave many people a negative sense of TBL and that feeling was only worsened when the professors said we would be using this style of learning throughout the next few years in school.

At the end of the semester the faculty realized the tension and passion that this learning approach brought out in the students. They were willing to admit that the semester was not perfect and wanted useful but not cruel evaluations from students. To their credit they wanted to get feedback from the students. The faculty felt so strongly about getting input that they went as far as hiring an individual from outside of the college to sit with a few students in a forum setting and engage in a constructive discussion about the changes in education format.

I was apart of that forum this evening. It went really well. None of the students immaturely bashed TBL but all of them gave honest feedback. It was a great experience to be apart of and hear students speak up about something they are passionate about...which is their learning. The Drake College of Pharmacy faculty deserve a big pat on the back for allowing the students to provide input, knowing it may not be all that they want to hear. They went out of their way to provide a safe and private atmosphere for opinions to be voiced.

This sounds cheesy, but....I am proud to be a Drake Pharmacy student because I know that I am graduating from a school with top notch professors that are truly teaching me to become the best professional and person that I can be.