Pharmacy 2014, 2(1), 65-73; doi:10.3390/pharmacy2010065
Group Project—Learning Research and Generic Skills for Life beyond University
Department of Pharmacy and Applied Science, La Trobe University, PO Box 199, Bendigo VIC 3552, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 20 December 2013 / Revised: 4 February 2014 / Accepted: 8 February 2014 / Published: 13 February 2014
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural and Regional Pharmacy Education and Leadership)
View Full-Text
|
Download PDF [167 KB, uploaded 18 February 2014]
Abstract
Although research is usually not a goal of Pharmacy students, learning about the research processes is important, as graduates’ development and confidence in professional counseling will depend on critically interpreting the literature about new therapies. In addition to research skills, many universities are now placing more emphasis on assessable graduate attributes. In an increasingly competitive job market, writing, critical thinking, speaking, leadership and teamwork skills are all essential, as they prepare students for the workforce, especially in regional and remote locations. However their teaching and assessment can be a challenge to embed in content rich subjects. “Group Project” is an elective subject in the final semester of the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Australia. Key features include: self-selection of the project and participating group members, supervision of small student groups, interview-style presentations, weekly reflections on progress and group processes, as well as peer evaluation of group members. Three case studies are discussed to illustrate students’ introduction to research within the support of the group and with guidance from their supervisor. In our experience, supervisor engagement played a large role in students rating the subject highly and their subsequent enthusiasm for research. View Full-TextKeywords:
group work; graduate attributes; pharmacy education; research
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
Share & Cite This Article
MDPI and ACS Style
Wilkens, S.; Tucci, J. Group Project—Learning Research and Generic Skills for Life beyond University. Pharmacy 2014, 2, 65-73.
Related Articles
Article Metrics
Comments
[Return to top]
Pharmacy
EISSN 2226-4787
Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland
RSS
E-Mail Table of Contents Alert