Pharmacy Practice Division lecturer and experiential learning coordinator, Amanda Margolis, along with associate professors (CHS) Andrea Porter and Michael Pitterle, are authors of a study to determine instructional best practice recommendations for use of blended learning from the students’ perspective.

Published in the April 2017 online edition the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (the Journal), “Best Practices for Use of Blended Learning,” concluded that instructors using blended learning should consider incorporating identified best practices into their course design and management, with additional evaluation needed to see if implementation of these practices affects student performance.

The research methodology included the creation of three focus groups, one for each of the first three years at a school of pharmacy. The focus group discussions were audio recorded and transcribed for content analysis. Ten instructional best practices were identified from the focus groups: setting the stage, consistency when team teaching, timeliness in posting materials, time on task, accountability for online activities, use of structured active learning, instructor use of feedback on student preparation, incorporation of student feedback into the course, short reviews of online material during class, and ensuring technologies are user friendly.

Ten issues of the Journal are published online each year and is the official scholarly publication of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). Its purpose is to document and advance pharmaceutical education in the

Margolis’s research focus is on pharmacist and pharmacy student delivered services to advance patient care. She is also interested in determining which learning intervention ensuring competency among pharmacy students and finding way to improve the consistency and quality of rotations for the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience program.

Porter’s research interests focus on educational-based scholarship, particularly educational innovation and blended learning, as well as clinical research in her practice as a pharmacist in the anticoagulation clinic at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wis.

Pitterle serves as Director of Instructional and Information Technology for the School of Pharmacy. He also is coordinator of the Computer Applications in Pharmacy Practice, Pharmacy Application of Data Analysis, and Multimedia Applications in Pharmacy Education courses. His current research focuses on development and evaluation of computer applications in pharmacy student education and practice.