title: Transforming a large-class lecture course to a smaller-group interactive course.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To transition a large pharmacokinetics course that was delivered using a traditional lecture format into a smaller-group course with a discussion format.
  
  
  METHODS
  An e-book and Web-based multimedia learning modules were utilized to facilitate students' independent learning which allowed the number of classes they were required to attend to be reduced from 3 to 1 per week. Students were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 weekly class sessions. The majority of lecture time was replaced with active-learning activities including discussion, problem solving, and case studies to encourage higher-order learning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Changes in course delivery were assessed over a 4-year period by comparing students' grades and satisfaction ratings on course evaluations. Although student satisfaction with the course did not improve significantly, students preferred the smaller-group setting to a large lecture-based class. The resources and activities designed to shift responsibility for learning to the students did not affect examination grades even though a larger portion of examination questions focused on higher orders of learning (eg, application) in the smaller-group format.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transitioning to a smaller-group discussion format is possible in a pharmacokinetics course by increasing student accountability for acquiring factual content outside of the classroom. Students favored the smaller-class format over a large lecture-based class.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. apersky@unc.edu
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Persky
authors.forename: Gary M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Pollack
mesh_terms: D003479:Curriculum; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D018961:Educational Technology; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D013339:Students, Pharmacy