Background: The School of Pharmacy and Medical
Sciences, University of Bradford, is keen to evaluate the
potential benefits of digital tools to enhance the teaching
and learning of all M.Pharm. students. Students are
increasingly using digital technology for both educational
and social purposes (Cheston et al., 2013). This project
explored the views of pharmacy students about digital
technology, including social media, for teaching in the
M.Pharm. programme.
Method: Convenience sampling was employed to recruit
M.Pharm. students for focus groups. Each focus group,
facilitated by student researchers with topic guide, was
audio-recorded and analysed for themes. Ethics approval
was obtained from the University.
Results: Year 2 and 3 students from two focus groups
(n1=8 (6 male), n2=10 (8 male)) identified three main
digital teaching tools used in the current programme:
Blackboard, response clickers, and iSTAN. Blackboard, a
virtual learning environment, was seen as a hub for
holding all required learning materials. However, its use
depended on internet access and some felt they would
benefit from offline use and improved compatibility with
different devices. Audience response systems and a
human patient stimulator were well received by students.
However, participants strongly felt that they were underutilised.
The main benefit of using social media for learning was
instant feedback and the encouragement of informal
discussions. Participants were not always comfortable
posting within the current digital tools used in the
programme (e.g. Blackboard) as they felt ‘monitored’.
However, participants acknowledged that information
obtained through social media might not be as reliable as
information from digital tools moderated by academics.
Interestingly, participants reported a lack of engagement
with programme specific social media pages (e.g.
Facebook page). They felt that the information provided
was aimed at qualified pharmacists, rather than current
students.
Conclusion: Participants valued accessibility, flexibility
and availability of instant feedback when using digital
tools to support their learning. They felt positive about
the digital tools used within the programme but
emphasised the need of greater integration.
References
Cheston, C.C., Flickinger, T.E. & Chisom, M.S. (2013). Social
media use in medical education: a systematic review. Academic
Medicine, 88(6), 893-90
