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Objectives. To assess the differences in learning outcomes of first-year (P1) pharmacy students enrolled in a course based on service learning with those of a comparable group of students not enrolled in a course involving service learning. Design. Students on 2 campuses of a school of pharmacy completed a required P1 course involving service learning. A control group of students at a different school completed typical P1 courses, none of which involved service learning. Assessment. A questionnaire was administered to P1 students in the study group at the conclusion of the service-learning course, and a similar questionnaire was administered to P1 students in the control group in the spring of their P1 year. Survey questions inquired about what the students had learned generally and in the areas identified as common to the 2 groups of respondents. Differences in the learning outcomes of the students were identified, most notably in the areas of professional communication, cultural competence, the elderly, and awareness of service-providing agencies in the community. Conclusion. This study demonstrated that service-learning positively impacts pharmacy students' learning outcomes.

The objective of the study was to determine what students learn through Service Learning (SL), based on their self-assessment of the learning. Survey instruments were administered to students at the beginning and end of a required SL course in one college's pharmacy curriculum. Students' responses revealed their personal and professional attitudes and how they changed as a result of their participation in the course; what they believed they had learned in this course; and what factors may have affected their attitudinal changes and learning. Actual course outcomes were reviewed in light of the educational outcomes of the Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE). The study is the first step in what needs to be a longer-term assessment based on objective measures of learning, but it demonstrates concrete learning outcomes of service-learning.

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