Collaboration in the classroom
Enriching the learning experience for Pharmacy students
Caitlin Carter Pharmacy subject librarian
Dr. Nardine Nakhla is the course coordinator for the third-year elective, Advanced Patient Self-Care, in the School of Pharmacy’s PharmD program. The course curriculum includes learning how to complete a literature review and using the results to create a clinical tool, or infographic, for pharmacists to use in practice.
Being able to formulate a research question and execute a literature search are critical skills in healthcare and pharmacy, given the abundance of new research published regularly and the duty to provide evidence-based care to patients.
To support students in learning these new skills, a collaboration for this assignment was proposed between Dr. Nakhla, Sarah Fallis, the course’s teaching assistant, and Caitlin Carter, the pharmacy subject librarian.
Hands-on support and expertise
The 27 students taking Pharm 362 in winter 2024 were invited to attend an optional one-hour tutorial with Fallis and Carter, who provided instruction on developing research questions, search strategies and techniques, how to screen results for inclusion or exclusion, how to critically appraise findings and apply the evidence to pharmacy practice.
After the formal tutorial was finished, Carter and Fallis met with each group to answer any lingering questions. “Caitlin advised on the technical aspects of their search strategies while I provided clinical considerations for their research question. Our complimentary backgrounds and knowledge allowed students to learn and grow in both the research and clinical pharmacy domains of this assignment,” remarked Fallis.
This informal setting provided a relaxed and open environment for students and the door was left open if they had more questions after the session ended. “Caitlin was incredibly responsive, always available in a timely manner via email or for in-person meetings whenever we had questions or needed additional guidance, which significantly reduced our stress throughout the process,” remembers student Pantea Saboni.
"Having our librarian Caitlin co-deliver the lit review tutorial greatly impacted our ability to complete the assignments successfully. Caitlin's presence in class provided us with confidence in using PubMed effectively to access all the literature available on our topics. Her seamless support helped us optimize our search strategies and gain access to essential articles, enabling our group to deliver our best literature review. Caitlin was also incredibly responsive, always available in a timely manner via email or for in-person meetings whenever we had questions or needed additional guidance, which significantly reduced our stress throughout the process.”
-- Pantea Saboni, student
"The librarian and teaching assistant collaboration was an innovative teaching method that utilized the expertise of two professionals to enhance the student learning experience. Caitlin’s expertise in research and search strategies was not only an asset when presenting our literature review tutorial, but it was also impactful during the Q&A period when students had inquiries about their group's search strategy. Caitlin and I both met with each group individually and Caitlin advised on the technical aspects of their search strategies while I provided clinical considerations for their research question. Our complimentary backgrounds and knowledge allowed students to learn and grow in the both research and clinical pharmacy domains of this assignment. Additionally, as the teaching assistant of the course, I was also grateful for Caitlin’s expertise during the marking process as she marked the methods section of the assignment and evaluated if the group successfully utilized operators to produce an accurate literature search."
-- Sarah Fallis, Teaching Assistant
Exceptional outcomes
The results of the assignment speak for themselves. Three of the clinical pharmacy tools were selected for publication in Pharmacy Practice + Business magazine and published online via the Canadian Healthcare Network. “Their collaborative approach not only enhanced the quality of literature reviews but also significantly enriched the overall learning experience. This tag team truly optimized student outcomes and exemplified the power of interdisciplinary collaboration in education," says Dr. Nakhla.