Experiences in Teaching and LearningTraditional lecture versus jigsaw learning method for teaching Medication Therapy Management (MTM) core elements
Section snippets
Background and purpose
Medication Therapy Management (MTM) is a service that optimizes therapeutic outcomes for individual patients through a wide range of activities that can be provided by a pharmacist.1 These services may include formulating a medication treatment plan, performing a comprehensive medication review, providing verbal education and training, and additional support services.1 The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), along with several other
Education activity and setting
WUSOP is a private four-year institution, with two campuses. Principles of Pharmaceutical Care is a two credit hour class in the first professional year, which is taught synchronously at both campuses using videoconferencing technology. This course is intended to provide student pharmacists with an overview of pharmaceutical care and various pharmacy practice models. Students are introduced to the concept of MTM, including the core elements, as defined in the Medication Therapy Management in
Findings
The total study population included the 94 first year student pharmacists enrolled in the Principles of Pharmaceutical Care class. For the fall semester (lecture cohort), 47 of the 49 students enrolled completed the pre- and post-test, yielding a 96% response rate. In the spring (jigsaw cohort), 43 of the 46 enrolled students (93% response rate) completed both tests. Demographic characteristics from the two groups were compared (Table 1); the majority of the demographics were statistically
Discussion
This study found that students seemed to find value in the jigsaw learning method, but performed better on the post-test knowledge questions when the material was presented using traditional didactic lecture. However, there was no significant difference between the two cohorts in performance on graded assessments, including the in-class project and final exam MTM questions. Students perceived the jigsaw learning method to be beneficial with regards to cooperative learning, communication skills,
Summary
This study compared the jigsaw learning method to traditional lecture in first professional year student pharmacists learning about MTM. Students in the traditional lecture group showed more improvement on the post-test, as compared to those in the jigsaw group. There were no significant differences on other course assessments, including the in-class project and final exam. While the jigsaw group had significantly more previous pharmacy experience and familiarity with MTM prior to starting the
Financial disclosure/Conflict of interest statement
The authors do not have any financial disclosures or conflicts of interest to report. This research was presented as a poster presentation at the 2015 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting.
Specific contribution to literature
There is conflicting information regarding the benefit of using the jigsaw learning method in pharmacy education. This paper compares traditional didactic lecture with the jigsaw learning method in teaching medication therapy management, using a pre- and post-knowledge test, course grades, and student perceptions.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the Wingate University School of Pharmacy Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research Group for reviewing the survey instrument prior to distribution and for helping review the manuscript before submission.
References (12)
Definition of medication therapy management: development of profession wide consensus
J Am Pharm Assoc
(2005)- et al.
Center for the advancement of pharmacy education 2013 educational outcomes
Am J Pharm Educ
(2013) - et al.
Using the jigsaw cooperative learning method to teach medical students about long-term and postacute care
JAMDA
(2014) Using cooperative learning for a drug information assignment
Am J Pharm Educ
(2009)- et al.
Using the jigsaw technique to teach clinical controversy in a clinical skills course
Am J Pharm Educ
(2015) - et al.
A hybrid jigsaw approach to teaching renal clearance concepts
Am J Pharm Educ
(2009)
Cited by (20)
Learning With Jigsaw: A Systematic Review Gathering All the Pieces of the Puzzle More Than 40 Years Later
2024, Review of Educational ResearchEffects of the Jigsaw method on student educational outcomes: systematic review and meta-analyses
2023, Frontiers in PsychologyPositive Resource Interdependence for Young Students: A Nudge for Cooperation but a Pitfall for Learning
2023, Contemporary Global Perspectives on Cooperative Learning: Applications Across Educational Contexts