A four year longitudinal study of student learning strategies

Introduction: Students enrolled in professional pharmacy programs tend to have high prior academic achievement. This achievement may be predicated on their learning strategies. However, when entering a professional program, it is unclear if their strategies change to adopt to a new, more rigorous academic environment. The purpose of this research note is to document a single cohort of students' learning strategies over time within a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum.

Methods: A single cohort from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy received yearly surveys regarding their learning strategies used during the past academic year. This cohort was tracked from prior to the start of the PharmD curriculum throughout the three-year duration of didactic course work. The survey was based on prior research of learning strategies.

Results: Most learning strategies remained constant over time including the primary strategy of re-reading or re-watching videos. Using flashcards and completing practice problems decreased over time. In addition, students seem to migrate to cramming for examinations rather than spacing their study over time. Similar patterns were noted in the small cohort of students that completed all four surveys.

Conclusions: Primary learning strategies do not seem to change with time but some secondary learning strategies may change over time.