title: A three-year study of the impact of instructor attitude, enthusiasm, and teaching style on student learning in a medicinal chemistry course.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of instructor attitude, enthusiasm, and teaching style on learning for distance and campus pharmacy students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a 3-year period, distance and campus students enrolled in the spring semester of a medicinal chemistry course were asked to complete a survey instrument with questions related to instructor attitude, enthusiasm, and teaching style, as well as items to measure student intrinsic motivation and vitality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More positive responses were observed among distance students and older students. Gender did not impact student perspectives on 25 of the 26 survey questions. Student-related items were significantly correlated with instructor-related items. Also, student-related items and second-year cumulative grade point average were predictive of students' final course grades. Instructor enthusiasm demonstrated the highest correlation with student intrinsic motivation and vitality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While this study addresses the importance of content mastery and instructional methodologies, it focuses on issues related to instructor attitude, instructor enthusiasm, and teaching style, which all play a critical role in the learning process. Thus, instructors have a responsibility to evaluate, reevaluate, and analyze the above factors to address any related issues that impact the learning process, including their influence on professional students' intrinsic motivation and vitality, and ability to meet educational outcomes.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
authors.forename: Naser Z
authors.initials: NZ
authors.lastname: Alsharif
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
authors.forename: Yongyue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000193:education*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D020375:Education, Distance / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D005178:Faculty / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D013339:Students, Pharmacy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: instructor enthusiasm; intrinsic motivation; medicinal chemistry; science courses; student learning; teaching; vitality