Using clips from movies and web series as a pedagogic method for learning pharmacology

Abstract

Background: Cine-medicine has previously been used in medical teaching. Movies and web series have a great impact on people's lives. The authors were interested to see if it could be used for teaching and engaging pharmacology students. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of using clips of movies or web series in Pedagogy for Pharmacology. Methods: The study was conducted among 111 Bachelor of Pharmacy, third-year students. An innovative teaching-learning technique was used. Two broad themes were chosen: Pathophysiology of disease and Pharmacology of the drug. Each student had to present one of the themes for seven minutes, the time was divided into three minutes of a clip from a movie or web series they had chosen, and a four minute explanation relating the clip to the theme. After the activity, students' feedback was obtained using a self-designed, pilot tested and validated eight item closed-ended questionnaire with options based on a 5-point Likert scale. Results: A total of 97 (87.4%) students completed the pedagogy activity. This teaching method was considered as novel (90.8%), made the class engaging (85.1%), stimulated students' interest (93.1%), potentiated learning (89.6%), helped in knowledge retention (81.6%), made learning fun (88.5%), created more interest and motivation for learning (89.6%) and helped in understanding the concept due to visual imaging (97.7%). Conclusion: The use of clips from movies and web series is an effective pedagogic method for learning pharmacology.