Impact of research-based learning on student knowledge and assessment in Pharmacoepidemiology: a one group pretest-posttest experimental study

Introduction: Research-based learning (RBL) is an active way of engaging students and engendering research skills. Objectives: To examine the impact of RBL on student knowledge and assessment. Materials and methods: RBL was run as a one-group pre-test/post-test experimental study where fourth-year pharmacy undergraduates (n=84) taking the basic pharmacoepidemiology course were the participants. RBL was incorporated into the course as a strategy to build small-scale real-life research projects into undergraduate assignments. The RBL intervention was assessed as student knowledge about the selected topics and their assessments of the teaching. Results: 83 valid responses were analysed (response rate, 98.8%). The mean accumulated GPA of participants was 3.28 (SD=0.39). Most were female (77.1%). According to relevant student knowledge on the selected topics, the post-test score increased after the RBL intervention (mean=17.6, SD = 2.1) compared to the pre-test score (Mean=9.7, SD=2.9); t (82) =-21.1. After implementing RBL, 74 students completed a 20-item end-of-semester questionnaire where the overall score was 4.0 (SD=0.5), deemed to be a good level of teaching. Conclusions: RBL promises to impact on student knowledge and teaching assessment especially, good student satisfaction. Better designed protocols investigating the role of RBL in skill acquisition are needed to overcome ethical and design constraints.