(232) Impact of Modernization of Pharmacy Business Management Curriculum on Student Outcomes

Objective : To determine if the modernization of teaching and assessment strategies in a core Pharmacy Management course increases student knowledge, self-efficacy, and perceptions of pharmacy management principles.

Methods: The 2-credit required Pharmacy Business Management course was revised in 2023 to modernize the lecture material, incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) content, and use specification grading. A pre/post course survey was conducted on the Class of 2025 related to the modernized curriculum, and the same post-survey was administered to the Class of 2024, who completed the previous curriculum. The 12-question survey assessed student perceptions, confidence, and knowledge linked to course objectives. The topics included business management, specification grading, and AI. A 5-point Likert Scale used, and results were analyzed using Fisher's Exact Test. Grade comparisons, including 2025 cohort on specification grading assignments, alongside cohort grade comparisons, were performed using a Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test.

Results: The results show a significant positive correlation between course grades and completed specification assignments (0.78606, p<.0001) in 2025 cohort. The 2025 cohort survey showed significantly higher (agree or strongly agree) student understanding of pharmacy business finance fundamentals at 24.2% compared to the post survey at 69.23%. The Class of 2025 surveys noted a significant increase of 22.08% in AI usage (p=0.006) from pre to post-survey, with a post-course improvement in students' ability to discern appropriate AI use. Overall, 67.7% of 2025 students felt more empowered and in control of their course grade outcomes with the incorporation of specification grading.

Conclusions: Course modernization was positively correlated with enhanced knowledge in business management, increased student agency through specification grading, and raised awareness of appropriate AI usage among students.