The effects of flipped classrooms on undergraduate pharmaceutical marketing learning: A clustered randomized controlled study

Abstract

Background Recently, flipped classrooms (FCs) have gradually been used in Chinese higher education settings. However, few studies have focused on the effects of FCs on interdisciplinary curricula. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an FC on the engagement, performance, and perceptions of students and on teacher-student interaction in a pharmaceutical marketing course. Design A clustered randomized controlled study was conducted, with 137 junior-year pharmacy undergraduates using an FC serving as the intervention group, in contrast to students using lecture-based learning (LBL) as the control group. Flanders’ interaction analysis system (FIAS) was used to measure teacher-student interaction, and questionnaires regarding attitudes toward and satisfaction with the teaching model were administered. Results The students in the FC group scored significantly higher than those in the LBL group (88.21±5.95 vs. 80.05±5.59, t = -8.08, p = 0.000) on pharmaceutical marketing. The multiple linear regression results showed that the FC model had a significant impact on student performance (β = 8.16, p <0.0001). The percentages of teacher talk in the FC and LBL groups were 21% and 96%, respectively (χ 2 = 2170.274, p = 0.000); however, the percentages of student talk in the FC and LBL groups were 75% and 2.6%, respectively (χ 2 = 2012.483, p = 0.000). Compared with the LBL group, most students in the FC group held more positive attitudes toward the teaching model; the mean scores for the 8 attitude attributes in the FC group were significantly higher than those in the LBL group ( p = 0.000). There were significant differences in the ratings of satisfaction with teacher-student interaction ( p = 0.000), the students’ learning attitude ( p = 0.000), the teacher’s preparatory work ( p = 0.000), the teaching objective ( p = 0.000), and the teaching effect ( p = 0.000) between the two groups. Conclusion Compared with LBL methods, implementing the FC model improved student performance, increased teacher-student interaction and generated positive student attitudes toward the experience. As an effective pedagogical model, it can also stimulate pharmacy students’ learning interest and improve their self-learning abilities.

The effectiveness of ICT-enhanced learning on raising intercultural competencies and class interaction in a hospitality course

“…The students welcomed the video-making assignment, similar to the findings of Yeh (2018), in which the students became more involved in the learning process and better understood the target culture. The above responses also revealed that the activities adopted in this study benefitted the students by increasing interaction and collaboration, as promoted by Kinyanjui (2019), and providing a learnercentered approach, as emphasized by Inoue and Bell (2006) and He et al (2019). These results echo the needs raised by Balula et al (2019) and Patiar et al (2017) to integrate ICT with professional developments in tourism and hospitality education.…”

“…When individuals demonstrate a positive attitude to and possess great interest in digital learning and social media applications, their individual learning needs and experiences are enhanced, which in turn assist them to achieve better learning outcomes (Ada et al, 2017;Baxter & Connolly, 2014). He et al (2019) examined the effects of a flipped classroom, in which students work in groups and construct knowledge with the help of their teacher and peers using student-centered instruction. The observation of a pharmaceutical marketing course revealed that the undergraduates who were present in the flipped classroom promoted their performance, increased teacher-student interaction, and developed positive attitudes regarding the experience.…”

Effectiveness of blended learning in pharmacy education: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The remaining 24 studies were controlled studies [ 19 – 42 ] out of which 19 used examination scores of previous year [ 19 – 34 , 36 – 41 ] and one used examination score of subsequent year as control [ 35 ]. There were 3 randomised trials [ 14 , 19 , 31 ] out of which one was cluster randomised [ 24 ]. Another study divided learning materials into didactic and BL in same population [ 28 ].…”

“…Another important finding is that BL modules which employed case studies/discussions or case-based scenarios reported better outcomes. A few studies also concluded that positive results obtained may not be attributed entirely to the suggest on that case studies need to be included in learning strategies [ 24 , 37 ]. There is evidence to show that case studies simulate real world situations and enhance interactive student-centred learning, particularly in the health professions.…”

Investigating Students’ Attitudes, Motives, Participation and Performance Regarding Out‑of‑Class Communication (OCC) in a Flipped Classroom

“…Furthermore, various other beneficial effects of the flipped classroom method of teaching and learning have been found by previous researchers. Studies have strongly argued that students have engaged readily in flipped classrooms, possibly because they were more prepared and more confident during active learning in the classroom as they had watched pre-class lecture videos (Zainuddin and Halili, 2016;Lo and Hew, 2019;He et al, 2019). Furthermore, when Hung (2015) investigated the student interactions in a flipped classroom, 64% of the participants reported having increased their interaction with the teacher and their classmates.…”