(e.g. 1st yr Pharmacy)
(with thanks to Prof. Bill Friesen)
OUTLINE OF METHOD
A different seminar topic is allocated to each pair of students in the class. Each topic consists of one or two pages of information outlining a specific case and prescribing information. In the first year class that was observed, students had studied anatomy, physiology and the process of medication provision, but not the theory (aetiology, pathology) specifically relevant to the case in hand.
The student pairs divide the research and presentation tasks between themselves, generally so that each has the chance to try all the necessary skills. Then each pair takes it in turn to give a short seminar to the rest of the class, using PowerPoint and any other resources they wish. The presentation is followed by questions from the student audience, and additional more probing questions from the lecturer designed to reveal the depth of understanding of their topic. The lecturer needs a detailed marking guide to check off the skills that have been demonstrated and reinforce the objectivity of the marking.
There was a clear difference between the two seminar presentations that were observed, particularly regarding the presenters' comprehension of their topic. This was made evident by careful questioning by the lecturer, who did not need to ask for new information, but for a relationship between some basic points that had not been made clear in the talk.
For this group the ability to give confident group presentations will most likely become a necessity of their professional lives. It is important that this is so - you would not give this as an assessment task if asks for skill development significantly outside the needs of the graduate.
BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS
What is this method
good for? |
Limitations |
| Process orientation (rather than content).
Requires participation from all students in turn.
Checks their understanding and ability to access information.
Provides students with practice in presentation skills.
Lecturer questions probe deeper learning and understanding of topic .
Gives students a self-check of performance by observing others. |
Little involvement of class in individual case presentations.
Knowledge not generalised to the group (only one pair gains knowledge of each case), hence limits discussion.
Only suitable when presentation skills are a required learning outcome for the course.
Time consuming for large classes.
Requires good marking guide to properly assess process and understanding.
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 Case example: 'Indigestion' (provided by Bill Friesen)
This model shown as a flow chart
WHAT DOES THE LECTURER THINK OF THIS APPROACH?
From Professor Friesen:
As far as our experience with these cases, the students seem to approve of this type of introductory professional material into first year as it gives them some 'ownership' of the pharmacy course. In the past, first year students had little idea what pharmacy is all about. This seminar program is only part of the CSA105 Pharmacy in Health Care unit which is intended to introduce students to the profession of pharmacy.
As far as its effectiveness, clearly the two students researching and presenting a topic, using Powerpoint in a seminar, get more out of that topic than others. The other students are told that they'll get out of these seminars only what they're willing to put into learning something about all of the topics.
As students' commitment to learning is highly variable, as an incentive to attend and participate in the seminars, this year we intend to put some multiple choice questions on an exam based on the seminar topics. (personal communication)
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