CAN THIS STUDENT BE SAVED: Why Is Everything You Do Still Not Enough?Danielle Willborn-Johnson, Pharm.D. Candidate 2017

Lucia J. Tranel, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences St. Louis College of Pharmacy

St. Louis, Missouri

IntroductionWhy do some students enrolled in Human Anatomy meet with success, while others have difficulty? As a former student in Anatomy and a current Teaching Assistant, this question became of interest. The class structure and rigor have not changed. Can the reason for students’ ineffectiveness be due to poor study habits? An anonymous survey was created addressing variables related to study behaviors. The survey was administered to a Control Group (those passing Anatomy with C or better) and to an Experimental Group (those repeating the course due to a grade lower than C). The data show that the reasons for students’ unsuccessful completion of Human Anatomy are more complicated than first suspected.

MethodsAn anonymous, voluntary survey was administered to two groups of students: 1) those who had passed Human Anatomy with a C or better and as such were enrolled in Physiology (Control Group), and 2) those who had earned a grade lower than a C and as such were repeating the Human Anatomy course (Experimental Group). Since the survey was completed anonymously, students were encouraged to be as truthful and self-reflective as possible. The questions addressed four different areas associated with study habits/study skills: class attendance, study time, methods of studying, and areas of struggle.

ConclusionsTraditionally, one might assume poor performance is a direct result of lack of studying and the method of studying; however, the evidence of this study did not support that assumption. The results were similar between the two groups of students when comparing study time and methods of study. Assuming that the difference between success and failure is simply attributed to class attendance may be too simplistic an answer. The responses of this survey indicate that there could be underlying causes within the structure of a large class format and student learning styles that prevent the success of some students. Do these students need a different type of instruction than what has become standard in a large group lecture course? If students are struggling to find success, then a change in teaching format may benefit them. When the experimental group of students re-enrolled in the Human Anatomy course, the instructional method was redesigned to meet this pedagogical hypothesis; that is, class was structured as a guided, Socratic study session. Assessment results appear to be promising. Redesigning a course with a large enrollment may not be feasible; however, guided study sessions could help struggling students.

ResultsIn the spring of 2015, 13 students from the Human Anatomy class (Experimental Group) and 204 students from the Physiology class (Control Group) responded to the survey. The majority of students in both groups had nearly identical dispersion of study methods; both groups utilizing an average of four to five methods of studying. Surprisingly, a higher proportion of the Experimental student group spent more time studying: 54% stated they studied every day, as compared to the Control student group: 21% stated they studied every day. The largest difference between the two groups was the percentage of students attending class: 74% of Control student group attended nearly every class, while 54% of the Experimental student group did so. In addition, more students in the Experimental group reported attending class less than 50% of the time. Areas of struggle were so disparate, that results were not analyzed.

23

46

23

8

Study Methods

Three or less Four to five Six to seven Eight or greater

25

40

24

11

Study Methods

Three or less Four to five Six to seven Eight or greater

42

42

16

Study Time

Every day Two days a week Before exam/quiz

21

45

34

Study Time

Every day Two days a week Before exam/quiz

74

18

8

Class Attendance

Attend nearly every class Attend class 80% of time Attend class ≤ 50% of time

54

23

23

Class Attendance

Attend nearly every class Attend class 80% of time Attend class ≤ 50% of time

Control Group(Students Enrolled in Physiology)

Experimental Group(Students Repeating Human Anatomy)

Acknowledgments• Saint Louis College of Pharmacy• Dr. Dayton Ford, Associate Professor of Physiology• Ashley Benain, PY4 Student