A critical care hybrid online elective course for third-year pharmacy students

Abstract

Objective. To assess the impact of a four-week hybrid online elective course in critical care on student learning attitudes and outcomes compared to that achieved when the same course was taught using a traditional lecture-based approach. Design. A hybrid online elective course was created that featured video-recorded lectures and in-class skills laboratories. Course evaluations were used to assess student perceptions of learning methods, and examination scores were used to assess learning outcomes. Assessment. One hundred five students enrolled in the critical care elective course from 2011-2014. Fifty-four students completed the traditional lecture course, and 51 completed the hybrid online elective course. The examination scores of students who completed the hybrid course were significantly higher than those of students who completed the traditional lecture course. The majority of students enrolled in the hybrid online elective course stated they preferred that format over a traditional course format and would recommend the elective course to a peer. Conclusion. Students preferred the format used for an online hybrid elective course in critical care over a traditional course format, and performed better on examinations than did students who had completed the course when it was offered in a traditional lecture format.