Written Socratic Dialogue as a self-learning technique in a Pharm.D programme

As part of a reform of the Pharm.D programme at the Universite de Montreal’s Faculty of Pharmacy in 2007, self- learning was proposed as a valued instructional technique to develop lifelong learning competencies for the students. In this context, Written Socratic Dialogue (WSD) emerged as the primary technique used by professors. WSD is to be conducted in three steps: (1) self-learning activities; (2) student-faculty interaction sessions; and (3) wrap-up activities. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the place of WSD as part of a range of instructional techniques and eventually to formulate recommendations. Student perception on diverse instructional techniques was determined using a validated survey, which also allowed technique appreciation and ranking analysis, as well as a better understanding of student-faculty interactions. The survey results showed that the benefits of WSD are improved time management, faster learning, and opportunities for in-depth learning.