PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Rebecca M. Romero
AU  - Stuart P. Eriksen
AU  - Ian S. Haworth
TI  - Quantitative Assessment of Assisted Problem-based Learning in a Pharmaceutics Course
AID  - 10.5688/aj740466
DP  - 2010 May 01
TA  - American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
PG  - 66
VI  - 74
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.ajpe.org/content/74/4/66.short
4100  - http://www.ajpe.org/content/74/4/66.full
SO  - Am J Pharm Educ2010 May 01; 74
AB  - Objectives. To assess the effectiveness of assisted problem-based learning (PBL) compared to a didactic approach in a pharmaceutics course.Design. Data were collected over 7 offerings of the course. In the first half of the semester about half of the students (PBL1) learned in a PBL format while the other students (PBL2) received didactic lectures. In the second half of the semester, the teaching methods were reversed.Assessment. Performance on the midterm examination and a comprehensive final examination was used to assess the effect of PBL. Over the 7-year period, PBL1 students scored significantly higher on the midterm examinations. Scores on the final examinations did not differ significantly, but PBL2 students had a higher mean score on questions based on material from the second half of the semester.Conclusions. PBL produced a short-term (weeks) improvement in learning and our results suggest that the effect may persist in the medium term (months).