Pharmacy students' experience of technology-enhanced learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy students and educators experienced an abrupt shift as programmes that were previously taught exclusively in-person were then predominantly taught online. This sudden change provided little time for students to prepare for the new learning environment. OBJECTIVES: The study objective was to explore pharmacy students' experiences of technology-enhanced learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed by email to all 3rd year (N = 76) and 4th year (N = 68) pharmacy students undertaking an MPharm programme in an Irish university. RESULTS: A total of 32 responses were collected, including 20 third year and 12 fourth year pharmacy students (response rates of 26.3% and 17.6%, respectively). The majority of respondents reported good or very good internet speed (71%) and stability (59%). Almost all were confident or very confident using Canvas (97%) prior to the onset of online learning. Respondents preferred engaging with other students in-person rather than online for coursework (68.8%) and learning new material (56.3%). Students favoured face-to-face delivery, with a recording of the session available online afterwards, for lectures (68.8%), workshops (50%) and tutorials (56.3%). Analysis of free-text comments indicates that respondents used recorded content to support exam revision and that a key drawback of online learning was social isolation. IMPLICATIONS: Pharmacy students favoured a blended learning approach, with in-person learning being recorded to support study and revision. Students' experience of TEL during the pandemic should be considered in the development and ongoing review of pharmacy programmes.