Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The authors administered the same pre/post-test to students in the Introductory American Politics and Government sections at Sauk Valley Community College and Northern Illinois University. Students were further given a brief demographic survey. The paper uses the data to explore two factors. First, it compares pre/post-test performance of students at the community college level to those at the university level. Second, the demographic survey is used to analyze sources of student prior knowledge. The study found that students at the community college level and the university level achieved comparable pre and post-test scores. Further, students with high GPAs and male students exhibited the greatest growth from pre-test to post-test. Lastly, a student’s level of prior knowledge on government and politics was linked with their level of political interest. Students with the highest level of political interest achieved the highest pre-test scores. Other factors, such as family income, parents’ education level, church participation, age, and credit hours earned, were not significant.

Publication Type: Roundtable
Abstract: This self-study raises questions about how we engage our students in addressing the complexity of teaching and learning within the context of an introductory course.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: Objective: To determine student perceptions of their level of mastery and rate the importance of where the experiences occurred.

Methods: All pharmacy students (n=350) were surveyed. The survey consisted of 23 items. Each item was rated based on level of skill mastery and importance of where the experience occurred. The level of skill mastery ranged from ‘familiar with but no experience’ to ‘expert (at the level of a pharmacist)”. The level of importance was ranked least to most for the following experiences: “work for pay”; “courses/labs”; “professional service projects”; and “clerkships”.

Results: The average level of practice experience increased across the curriculum with overall mean (median) for each class as follows: P1s=1.9 (2); P2s=3 (3); P3s=3.5 (3); P4s=3.9 (4). Items with the highest mastery were “Dispensing medications”, “Interacting with pharmacy technicians” and “Performing calculations”. Items that displayed the least mastery were “Conducting physical assessment”, “Identifying patient specific factors that affect health, pharmacotherapy, &/or disease state management”, and “Preparing & compounding sterile products”. For the P1, P2, and P3 students, of the items with the highest mastery, “work” were rated the most important followed by “courses/labs” and “service project”. However, for the items with the least mastery the students rated “courses/labs” the most important followed by “service project” and “work”.

Implications: Students feel the most comfort with activities that they get adequate practice experience. The results of this survey will help guide implementation of early practice experiences into the curriculum.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this project is to evaluate the impact of an introductory leadership course on leadership behaviors and beliefs of pharmacy students.

METHODS: Pharmacy students actively participating in leadership roles in professional organizations within the college were invited to enroll in an introductory leadership course. A 17-question leadership belief survey (LBS), based on a five point Likert scale, was given to students at the beginning of the course. Additionally, students completed the Kouzes and Posner Student Leadership Practices Inventory (SLPI), a 30-question survey that evaluates the frequency of student leadership practices and behaviors in five areas using a five point Likert scale. Students then completed a three credit introductory leadership course. The LBS and SLPI will be re-administered upon completion of the course. Changes in pre-and post-course survey scores will be compared using a paired student t-test with statistical significance defined a priori as p<0.05. Students will also be asked to evaluate how well the course met its pre-defined learning objectives.

RESULTS: Seventeen of 25 students invited to participate in the class enrolled and completed the initial surveys. All 17 enrolled students are expected to complete post-course surveys.

IMPLICATIONS: The development of future leaders in pharmacy is imperative to the continued success of the profession. If leadership skills can be learned, potential leaders in colleges of pharmacy should be given the opportunity to further develop these skills. This project evaluates the impact that a leadership course may have in the development of future leaders for the pharmacy profession.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This presentation demonstates two agent-based models created in the NetLogo simulation environment to teach basic concepts in an introductory American Government course. The first model, "Factions" helps explain Madsion's argument about how the constitution controls the violence of faction through creation of a large republic with a diverse population. The second model, "The State of Nature" helps students understand Hobbes' concept of the state of nature. Both models are available at http://www.modelingcomplexity.net/apsa/