(415) Faculty Development to Support a New Curriculum

Objective: A new contemporary Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum was implemented in fall 2023 for the Class of 2027. To ensure a collective effort in delivering the new courses and to develop a culture of continuous faculty development, curriculum transformation retreats were held in summer 2023. Retreats included discussions on new course syllabi and faculty development activities.

Methods: Curriculum retreats were held monthly from May through August 2023. The retreats were on average five hours long and held in-person and/or virtually. Alongside reviewing course syllabi, faculty development sessions included topics on writing exam questions, exam statistical analysis, active learning strategies, objective structured clinical examinations, performance-based assessments, and curricular overload. Faculty completed a survey at the end of summer 2023 to provide feedback on the retreats, topics, logistics, and programming for future faculty development sessions.

Results: On average, 18 faculty (81.8%) attended each retreat. Fifteen faculty (68%) completed the survey. On a Likert scale, all respondents rated the overall value of the retreats as either “good”, “very good”, or “excellent”. All respondents reported that they are committed to making improvements or incorporating what they learned in the sessions within the courses they teach. Participants also provided feedback on the length of sessions.

Conclusion: Curriculum retreats and faculty professional development sessions held during the summer of 2023 prior to the implementation of the new curriculum were well received by faculty and will continue in the summer of 2024. Future retreat topics include discussions about the new second year courses, changes to implement for the first year courses based on feedback, and faculty development topics suggested in the survey.