Impact of an Online, Self-directed Pharmacy Bridging Course on First-year Students’ Learning

Objective. The objectives of this study were to: (1) evaluate the short-term effectiveness of an online ten-module bridging course on knowledge acquisition in four content areas and (2) identify struggling students early in the academic term to provide supportive interventions. Methods. An assessment was administered to all students (N=180) during orientation to determine prior knowledge. Students who scored Results. For those who completed the bridging course modules, assessment scores improved between orientation and completion of the bridging course (53% vs 76%). All students demonstrated significant improvement in assessment scores between orientation and the end of the quarter; however, bridging course participants showed a greater proportional increase in their assessment scores (53% vs 73%) over non-participants (76% vs 81%). Significant relationships exist between assessment scores following completion of the bridging course and first-quarter course pass rates. Conclusion. The online, self-directed bridging course offered at Midwestern University, Chicago College of Pharmacy proved successful as a method of knowledge acquisition and a system of early identification within the first two weeks of the quarter for students in need of additional academic support.