Perceived Value of Teaching and Learning Curriculum Programs Among Pharmacy Practice Department Chairs

Abstract

Objective. To describe the perceived value of teaching and learning curriculum (TLC) programs and related activities according to pharmacy practice department chairs in making hiring decisions.

Methods. An 18-item electronic survey instrument was administered to pharmacy practice chairs (or equivalent) at Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited Doctor of Pharmacy programs across the United States following pilot testing and establishment of intra-rater reliability. The survey addressed overall impressions of the value of TLC programs, relative importance compared to other accomplishments (e.g., residency completion, board certification), and importance of specific activities.

Results. There were 53 responses out of 127 usable emails, yielding a response rate of 41.7%. The majority of completers held a PharmD (90.6%), had been in their chair role for zero to five years (60.4%), and represented private institutions (54.7%). Overall, the majority of completers felt it was “very important” or “important” (32 of 49 who answered the question, 65.3% respectively) that teaching experiences be completed within a formal TLC program. TLC programs were determined to be most important for candidates with less than five years of experience. TLC programs were not deemed to be more important than other accomplishments by most responders. The perceived most important TLC program activities were instruction on didactic and experiential teaching strategies, and experience developing learning objectives, developing examination items, evaluating examination results, and facilitating case conference or practice laboratory activities.

Conclusion. Pharmacy practice chairs value completion of a TLC program when hiring faculty, especially recent graduates.