Is. Haworth et al., A problem based learning, case study approach to pharmaceutics: Faculty and student perspectives, AM J PHAR E, 62(4), 1998, pp. 398-405
The two-semester PharmD-level I Pharmaceutics course at the University of S
outhern California School of Pharmacy has been taught using a student-cente
red, problem-based learning (PBL) approach for the last five years. The mos
t important element of the course is the assignment of two case studies in
each semester, and the performance of these case studies by groups of stude
nts. The intention of the course is to emphasize group working, cooperation
and collective achievement as being equally important to individual effort
and grades. The course involves the participation in lectures and discussi
on groups of faculty, students and teaching assistants, and of student 'men
tors' - students who took the course in the previous year. Over a five-year
period instructors have designed and then refined the approach within the
constraints created by a class size of about 170 students. Described are ex
periences to date in the teaching and administration of the course, from a
faculty perspective. Provided are a number of suggestions regarding the mos
t effective structure of the course, the appropriate methods of evaluation,
the potential pitfalls, and the demands of such a course on both students
and faculty. To help the reader understand further the impact of the PBL ap
proach on students, several students, who have both taken the course, and t
hen acted as mentors, provide an independent, student perspective on the te
aching approach. Their perspective is presented in the final part of the ma
nuscript.