How did we get here? Evolution of specifications grading in a required skills-based course series.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Specifications grading is a mastery-based grading approach to unlock student potential and empower students to focus on learning goals while receiving and acting on meaningful feedback. Within specifications grading, bundles are created to group assignments and assessments. Based on student achievement within each bundle, overall course grade is determined. This article describes the development and implementation of a specifications grading schema in a required skills-based course series, along with lessons learned. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: In a longitudinal course series with both a didactic and lab component, specifications grading was utilized for determination of the overall course grade. Key components of the specifications grading schema were defined by assignment bundles. Assignment bundles aligned with knowledge and skills taught and assessed in each course and also included summative capstone assessments. Each bundle was assigned a numeric grade linked to a letter grade which determined the students' final grade in the course. FINDINGS: Following first course offerings, several changes to the specifications grading schema were made to improve tracking of assignments and activities, to improve consistency across courses, and to aid in final course grade determination. All quizzes were changed to optional, formative quizzes to encourage student accountability. Additional changes were made to the processes of capstone remediation and reassessment, which led to changes in language of the grading schema. SUMMARY: Developing and implementing specifications grading was a crucial first step in building a required skills-based course series, which led to further refinement and improvement for future course offerings.

Managing the "Three Cs" of Academic Literature Authorship: Contributions, Credit, and Conflict.

Dissemination of information through publications is central to academic research, as well as professional advancement. Although seemingly a straightforward endeavor, publication authorship may present challenges. Although the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors defines authorship based on 4 required criteria, contemporary interdisciplinary collaborations can complicate authorship determinations. However, communication that occurs early and frequently in the research and writing process can help to prevent or mitigate potential conflicts, while a process for defining authorship contributions can aid in awarding proper credit. The Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) defines 14 essential roles of manuscript authors that can be utilized to characterize individual author contributions toward any given publication. This information is useful for academic administrators when evaluating contributors of faculty during promotion and tenure decisions. In the era of collaborative scientific, clinical, and pedagogical scholarship, providing faculty development, including statements of credit in the published work, and developing institutional systems to capture and assess contributions are key.

Successes and challenges in implementing specifications grading in skills-based laboratory courses: Experiences at two colleges of pharmacy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Specifications grading, a grading schema focused on mastery of skills, may provide an alternative to traditional grading. Specifications grading uses three components (pass/fail grading, bundles, and tokens) to allow students to demonstrate competency in specific areas as part of competency-based education. The purpose of this article is to outline specifications grading and review its implementation at two colleges of pharmacy. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Two colleges of pharmacy used specifications grading within a first-year skills-based laboratory course. Instructors identified key skills for each course and the minimum performance levels for each grade (A, B, C, etc.). Each college evaluated skills that aligned with course learning objectives. FINDINGS: Incorporating specifications grading helped better align assignments and assessments to course learning objectives. Instructors felt specifications grading introduced more rigor into the course. Instructors identified four challenges when implementing specifications grading, including: (1) lack of integration into the learning management system, (2) initial student confusion, (3) modifications needed due to unforeseen circumstances, and (4) logistical issues when implementing token exchange. Many of these challenges can be overcome with instructor tracking of passed assignments and earned/redeemed tokens, periodic reinforcement of the grading schema with students, and creating flexibility within the course, especially the first time the schema is implemented. SUMMARY: Specifications grading was successfully implemented in two skills-based courses. Challenges encountered with implementing specifications grading will be continually addressed. Implementation of specifications grading in other forms of course deliveries (e.g., electives, didactic) may require adjustment and further evaluation.

Use of Digital vs Printed Posters for Teaching and Learning in Pharmacy Education.

Objective. To characterize student pharmacists' perceptions of the use of posters as a learning tool and their preferences regarding digital posters compared to printed posters for presentation and review.Methods. Student pharmacists presented and peer-reviewed posters in a digital format using a tablet and an overhead monitor or in a printed format mounted on a poster board. The perceptions of two cohorts of pharmacy students were characterized by comparing their responses on pre- and post-activity surveys.Results. The pre- and post-activity surveys were completed by 543 students (95.3%) in the 2017-2018 academic year and 553 students (97%) in the 2018-2019 academic year, respectively. Over 95% of students perceived that the poster activity enhanced their poster creation, literature evaluation, and communication skills, while also improving their learning of pharmacy-related topics. There was a significant increase on the post-activity survey in the number of students who preferred the digital poster format, with students indicating that the digital format was straightforward (87.3%), enhanced their presentation (77.2%), and promoted learning (70.5%).Conclusion. Poster presentations provide a platform for the dissemination and discussion of topics and allow students to improve their presentation and communication skills. Digital posters represent a convenient, cost-effective, and preferred presentation method for pharmacy students compared to printed posters.

Impact of a Film on Student Pharmacists' Views on Quality of Life and Aging.

Objective. To assess the effectiveness of film in providing health and quality-of-life experiences of aging to student pharmacists. Methods. Third professional year student pharmacists enrolled in an elective course in geriatric pharmacy were shown a made-for-television movie, To Dance With the White Dog, which portrays elderly people experiencing health and quality-of-life issues. The student pharmacists were surveyed before and after viewing. The survey contained Likert-scale items as well as open-ended directed reflection questions. Responses to pre- and post-intervention surveys were compared using descriptive statistics and the Student t test for paired data. Qualitative content analysis was used to evaluate the directed reflection data. Results. Of the 69 students surveyed, 97% completed the pre- and post-intervention survey instruments. Comparison of pre- and post-survey data revealed non-significant increases in the strength of student pharmacists' agreement with statements on film as a useful resource. Students' self-reported understanding of geriatric health and quality-of-life experiences improved significantly from pre- to post-intervention. Agreement that film was a valid alternative to a lecture decreased slightly on the post-intervention survey. Through qualitative analysis of student reflections on the film activity, the themes of meaningful experience, opportunity to consider an approach to practice, and opportunity to experience the patient perspectives of autonomy, death, self-image of aging, and medication burden were identified. Conclusion. In pharmacy education, the combination of viewing a film followed by class discussion and written reflection was perceived by student pharmacists as a valuable method of learning about age-related health and quality-of-life experiences.

Urological disorders in men: urinary incontinence and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Urinary incontinence (UI) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are 2 common urogenital problems in men. UI is associated with involuntary leakage of urine and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) of urgency, frequency, and nocturia. Types of UI include functional, urge, stress, and overflow. Treatment for UI is based on the type of incontinence, patient-specific factors, and treatment preferences of both patients and health care providers. Options for the management of UI include environmental modifications, disposable incontinence products, pelvic floor exercises, pharmacotherapy, surgically implanted devices, and intermittent catheterization. BPH may be also associated with LUTS. Patient symptoms, assessed with a measurement tool such as the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI), serve as the basis for determining treatment. Management approaches for BPH include pharmacotherapy, surgery, and minimally invasive procedures. Anticholinergic drugs as well as α-receptor antagonists and 5-α reductase inhibitors, either alone or in combination, are effective and useful for LUTS unresponsive to traditional pharmacotherapy. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) can eliminate symptoms of BPH but is associated with relatively more complications than other available surgical and minimally invasive procedures.

Outcomes of a multidisciplinary partnership to improve cardiac wellness: an opportunity for pharmacists.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the results of an initiative to create awareness of coronary heart disease and provide education regarding cardiovascular (CV) risk and cholesterol (lipid) management in a community-based senior population. A multidisciplinary partnership composed of governmental agencies, a member of the pharmaceutical industry, a college of pharmacy, and several community-based health care practitioners collaborated in the program. DESIGN: Prospective CV risk assessment, educational interventions, and follow-up. SETTING: Community centers providing wellness and activity programs for ambulatory seniors. PATIENTS: Ambulatory senior adults who were active participants in senior center programs were invited to participate in a series of health screenngs at a center-based health fair. Those who met specific evidence-based qualifying criteria were enrolled in the program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in CV risk profile, specifically, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), blood glucose levels; and attainment of National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) lipid goals of the Adult Treatment Panel III. RESULTS: Initial screening of 501 patients for eligibility allowed 273 patients to qualify and enroll in the program. A total of 112 (41.0%) participants returned for the year 2 follow-up, leaving a loss to follow-up of 161 patients. Compared with baseline, reductions occurred in total cholesterol (206.8 mg/dL vs.182.9 mg/dL), LDL-C (122.2 mg/dL vs. 105.5 mg/dL), HDL-C (51.5 mg/dL vs. 49.6 mg/dL), TG (164.8 mg/dL vs. 136.4 mg/dL), and blood glucose (115 mg/dL vs. 106.3 mg/dL); the number of patients with less than two risk factors decreased from 43 (38.4%) to 28 (25.0%) and those with two or more risk factors increased from 69 (61.6%) to 84 (75.0%); the number of patients at NCEP (lipid) goal increased from 57 (50.9%) to 80 (71.4%). CONCLUSION: For senior adults participating in the program, improvements occurred in both the lipid profiles and the number of patients at their NCEP (lipid) goal, although the number of seniors with > or = two risk factors increased from 69 (61.6%) to 84 (75.0%). A multidisciplinary partnership for improving the CV health and awareness of an ambulatory senior population is a unique opportunity for pharmacists to provide wellness services for seniors.

Evaluating medication regimens in the elderly.

Medications are probably the single most important health care technology in preventing illness, disability, and death in the geriatric population. The evaluation of the medication regimen is a valuable function of the pharmacist in any practice setting. Important components in the evaluation process include an understanding of medication-related problems in the geriatric patient, risks for medication-related problems in this patient population, information regarding assessment, appropriate prescribing for geriatric patients, and adherence and compliance practices of these patients.