Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre

1. Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre E-Learning Special Interest Group 26th June 2009

2. Podcasting as a learning tool to support pharmacology education for nurse prescribers Joanne Lymn, Dianne Bowskill, Oonagh Meade

3. Non-Medical Prescribing (NMP) • Following qualification nurses have similar prescribing rights to doctors. • Understanding of pharmacological concepts hugely important for patient safety • 56 hours of pharmacology • Approximately 50% of NMP students have no more than a GCSE in a biological science (Lymn, Bath-Hextall & Wharrad 2008).

4. Pharmacological Understanding among NMP students • NMP students often express anxiety about the subject of pharmacology during their NMP course. • Students often admit that learning pharmacological concepts is like learning a new language. • Extra tutorial support is often necessary in this subject.

5. Why podcasts? • Learning a foreign language – important to be able to listen & listen again • NMP course is WebCT based – links can be added into WebCT. • Mobile learning - audio content can be downloaded to MP3s, iPODs etc and listened to on the move.

6. Methodology • 7 key pharmacology lectures were recorded using MP3 recording equipment available within the university. • Recordings were edited using ‘Audacity’ – whole lectures and short sections. • Links to individual podcasts, and the associated downloadable MP3 files were added to the NMP WebCT site. • Lecture slides also available on WebCT • Student use of podcasts monitored WebCT tracking

8. Methodology 2 • Postal questionnaire sent to two cohorts of students who had access to podcasts (n=43) • Comparison of exam scores from cohorts with access to podcasts (n=64) with historical cohorts (no access to podcasts, n=70) • Semi-structured interviews conducted with small number of high, medium and low users

9. Demographics < 30 > 50 30 - 39 40 - 49 Age of NMP students (years)

10. Computer Access • 100% students had access to a computer • 42% rated their comfort levels with internet technology as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ • 63% had access to an iPod or MP3 player

11. Student Use of the Podcasts Web CT tracking results: 83% of students accessed at least one podcast. Links to the podcasts were clicked 376 times which a range of 0 to 48 clicks per student.

12. Student Use of the Podcasts • Reasons why students used the podcasts:

13. Use of podcasts for a specific question • 93% of students who used the podcasts for a specific question found the answer. • 56% rated it easy or very easy to find the answer • 23% of students generally listened to selected parts of the podcast (77% of students generally listened to the entire podcast)

14. Student perception of the usefulness of podcasts Usefulness as a learning tool Usefulness as a revision aid Usefulness in promoting understanding 80 90 70 80 70 60 70 60 50 60 50 40 Student responders (%) 50 Student responders (%) Student responders (%) 40 40 30 30 30 20 20 20 10 10 10 0 0 0 unhelpful neither helpful Very helpful very unhelpful unhelpful neither helpful Very helpful very unhelpful unhelpful neither helpful Very helpful very unhelpful

15. *** 4.7 8.5 4.6 8.4 4.5 8.3 4.4 Exam score (out of 10) Exam score (out of 5) 4.3 8.2 4.2 8.1 4.1 8 4 7.9 3.9 7.8 3.8 Pharmacokinetics Autonomic Nervous System Analgesia Statistical analysis was performed by unpaired t-test, *** p = 0.001 No podcasts Podcasts Student knowledge – measured by exam score

16. Student feedback on pharmacology podcasts. Qualitative Feedback “An excellent learning tool to reinforce my understanding of the basics of dynamics, kinetics & ANS. I would not have understood these subjects without revisiting the lecture time & again” “I used it as a repetitive tool to familiarise myself with terminology I hadn’t heard before – to promote my comfort – to then go on and digest the subject.” “Podcasts were a great way to learn and revisit! Excellent learning tool!! Thank you.” “Absolutely brilliant as an assistant to course content.”

17. Interview Data Podcast use

18. Impact on learning • Enhanced control Learning at own pace, gauging study needs using podcasts, portability increasing learning opportunities • Adding value to course materials Complementary learning tool • Building Understanding Aiding understanding of a complex subject, explanation of slides helpful (aural learning), repetition reinforcing learning, lost information recovered.

19. Disadvantages of podcasts. • Time consuming to edit initially • Managing students unrealistic expectations • Encourage dependency and ‘rote learning’ rather than developing understanding

20. Conclusions • Students make use of podcasts • Students feel podcasts support their learning • Exam results suggest podcasts may improve knowledge & understanding • Podcast all pharmacology lectures • One of a number of important learning tools.

21. Thank you • Dianne Bowskill • Oonagh Meade • Fred Riley • Non-medical prescribing students Funded by; University of Nottingham, Learning & teaching development fund

22. Contact Us Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre http://www.health.heacademy.ac.uk info-hsap@kcl.ac.uk Higher Education Academy http://www.heacademy.ac.uk