title: A process-oriented guided inquiry approach to teaching medicinal chemistry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To integrate process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL) team-based activities into a 1-semester medicinal chemistry course for doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students and determine the outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students in the fall 2007 section of the Medicinal Chemistry course were taught in a traditional teacher-centered manner, with the majority of class time spent on lectures and a few practice question sets. Students in the fall 2008 and fall 2009 sections of Medicinal Chemistry spent approximately 40% of class time in structured self-selected teams where they worked through guided-inquiry exercises to supplement the lecture material.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean examination score of students in the guided-inquiry sections (fall 2008 and fall 2009) was almost 3 percentage points higher than that of students in the fall 2007 class (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the grade distribution shifted from a B-C centered distribution (fall 2007 class) to an A-B centered distribution (fall 2008 and fall 2009 classes).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The inclusion of the POGIL style team-based learning exercises improved grade outcomes for the students, encouraged active engagement with the material during class time, provided immediate feedback to the instructor regarding student-knowledge deficiencies, and created a classroom environment that was well received by students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Gatton College of Pharmacy, East Tennessee State University, Box 70594, Johnson City, TN 37601, USA. browsd03@etsu.edu
authors.forename: Stacy D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000193:education*; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods*; D013339:Students, Pharmacy / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013714:Tennessee