Increasing student participation and theory application in pharmaceutical technology lectures

Abstract

A poster presentation on increasing student participation and theory application in pharmaceutical technology lectures. Introduction: The application of theory in practical scenarios enhances the learning process and makes it more enjoyable and stimulating for students. The Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in pharmaceutical technology was launched by the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Malta in 2011. Within this course two study units dedicated to aspects of pharmaceutical processes in production, namely active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturing and production and operations management, were developed. The introduction of a presentation within these two study units is thought to increase the participation of students during lectures and enable them to understand better the material covered during lectures. Aims: To introduce a class presentation related to a real case scenario for each study unit, to increase student participation and to promote the application of the theory learned during lectures.

Introduction: The application of theory in practical scenarios enhances the learning process and makes it more enjoyable and stimulating for students. The Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in pharmaceutical technology was launched by the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Malta in 2011. Within this course two study units dedicated to aspects of pharmaceutical processes in production were developed. A class presentation related to a real case scenario was introduced to increase student participation and application of theory during the lectures. Method: Theoretical material covered during lectures for modules on production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and production and operations management was reviewed. A case presentation was developed for each study unit according to the material covered. Results: For the production of APIs study unit, students were divided into groups and a drug was assigned for each group. Students had to research different synthetic methods for the selected drug and present findings to the class. During the presentation, each step of the synthesis was described, highlighting the role of each reaction component. The different synthetic methods were also compared. For the production and operations management module, students were divided into two groups. Each group was assigned a scenario and represented a pharmaceutical company; each student had a separate task. Tasks assigned included the development of a facility layout and production and laboratory schedules. Conclusion: Development of these case presentations helped students better understand the theory learned during lectures by applying this knowledge to practice. Research and presentation skills are also developed, which can be applied to other modules and may also be useful in the students’ future professional career.