Enhancing academic success by creating a community of learners

Abstract

Objective. To enhance academic performance and student progression by creating a community of learners. Design. Academic performance and student progression of students participating in the first 3 years of a second-year pharmacy learning community were compared with those of students in the 3 previous classes. Students participating in the learning community completed surveys at the end of each semester and at the end of the academic year. Peer mentors were surveyed at the end of the academic year. Assessment. After implementing the learning community, failures during the second year of the pharmacy program decreased. Students had increasingly positive perceptions of the experience over the 3 years. Peer mentors rated their overall experience highly. Conclusion. Implementation of a learning community resulted in improved progression through the program and was well received by students.