Comparison of Two Assessment Methods on Pharmacotherapy Learning and Student’ Satisfaction

To achieve the objectives of any educational system, different methods are used. The conventional method of evaluation is mid-term exams and quizzes. Another method of evaluation is formative assessment by taking pre/posttests at the beginning and the end of each learning session. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of pre/posttest evaluations on pharmacotherapy learning among pharmacy students and studying its side effects (stress, altered concentration, so on) on students. We also compared the results with the conventional methods of evaluation. For this purpose, all pharmacy students taking pharmacotherapy (40 students) were enrolled in this study. We compared their grades of pharmacotherapy in two consecutive semesters. At the first semester they took pre/posttests at each session, and at the next semester they had three quizzes and a mid-term instead. We analyzed the mean of final exam grades of these semesters and asked the students’ view on this subject via a questionnaire. The mean of final scores of students in pre- and post-test semester and next semester were 13.80 ± 1.87 and 12.55 ± 2.25, respectively. The scores in the first group was significantly higher. 85.75% of students thought pre/post-tests increased their concentration in class. The results showed that pre and post-tests were a good way to assess knowledge of pharmacotherapy; moreover, in comparison to the conventional methods, it had a positive effect on learning. Therefore, it is claimed this method had a high satisfaction rate among students and neither show stress among the students nor interferes with their concentration in class.