Effectiveness of E-learning in pharmacy education.
Over the past 2 decades, e-learning has evolved as a new pedagogy within pharmacy education. As learners and teachers increasingly seek e-learning opportunities for an array of educational and individual benefits, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs. This systematic review of the literature examines the quality of e-learning effectiveness studies in pharmacy, describes effectiveness measures, and synthesizes the evidence for each measure. E-learning in pharmacy education effectively increases knowledge and is a highly acceptable instructional format for pharmacists and pharmacy students. However, there is limited evidence that e-learning effectively improves skills or professional practice. There is also no evidence that e-learning is effective at increasing knowledge long term; thus, long-term follow-up studies are required. Translational research is also needed to evaluate the benefits of e-learning at patient and organizational levels.
School of Medicine and Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.
Sandra M
SM
Salter
School of Medicine and Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.
Ajay
A
Karia
School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.
Frank M
FM
Sanfilippo
School of Medicine and Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.
Rhonda M
RM
Clifford
D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003479:Curriculum; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007858:Learning; D013339:Students, Pharmacy / Q000523:psychology*
Internet; computer instruction; e-learning; knowledge assessment; pharmacy education