The impact of interactive technology as a method to increase knowledge acquisition and learner satisfaction in an advanced pharmacology course: A comparison study

Technology use in higher education has been receiving increasing attention.  Interactive technology as a teaching method has included blogging, interactive video, wikis, and others.  Research studies have shown positive results with these methods based on student and faculty satisfaction.  Yet, few studies are available that address the impact of these technology enhanced methods on student acquisition of knowledge.

Students in graduate nursing programs are usually experienced clinicians who have had some exposure to technology through their clinical practices using electronic health records or technology enhanced continuing education programs.  Many graduate nursing students have taken online classes in higher education.  These classes, however, may or may not include student-student or student-faculty interactions.

The use of a case study to demonstrate application of knowledge is a tradition in many graduate nursing classes. In advanced pharmacology, case studies allow students to apply their knowledge of medications, interactions and side effects to a patient scenario.  Evolving, or unfolding, case studies have emerged as a method to increase student-student interaction.  The evolving case study begins with a limited amount of information provided by the faculty member.  Students work together in a team based learning approach to determine additional information needed to answer questions associated with the case study.  The collective “group wisdom” helps to promote student interaction, critical thinking and clinical reasoning.  This type of evolving case study reported in the literature, has been primarily used in a face-to-face classroom setting.  There has been positive student satisfaction with this method reported in the literature.  The use of interactive technology, such as blogs or wikis may further increase interactions, critical thinking and clinical application of knowledge related to advanced pharmacology.

The purpose of this comparison study is to identify the impact of various technological methods on the learning acquisition and satisfaction of graduate nursing students enrolled in an advanced pharmacology course. With IRB approval, a convenience sample of graduate nursing students enrolled in an advanced pharmacology course was recruited.  Results reported using descriptive and inferential statistics through aggregate data reveal positive student outcomes and high satisfaction. Implications for teaching and learning will be discussed.