Carlsson Thomas, Winder Michael, Eriksson Anna L, Wallerstedt Susanna M
Department of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 431, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Department of Internal Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Med Sci Educ. 2020 Jul 13;30(3):1137-1144. doi: 10.1007/s40670-020-01026-8. eCollection 2020 Sep.
Adequate knowledge in pharmacology is crucial in many professions but a non-negligible proportion of students fail the exams and knowledge of underlying factors is largely lacking. This study was performed to evaluate to what extent various factors are related to student performance in pharmacology-related courses in higher education, linking administrative data to attendance at non-mandatory teaching sessions and questionnaire replies. A total of 596 students (median age: 22 years; 70% female) were included from eight courses which are part of either the medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, or biomedical analyst degree programs at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden. In all, 380 (64%) students passed the regular program- and course-specific exam. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that a high participation rate in non-mandatory teaching sessions, as well as a perceived great interest in pharmacology, was associated with students' passing of the exam; adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.30 (1.19 to 1.42; per 10 percentage unit increase in attendance) and 3.38 (1.86 to 6.12), respectively. Working for wages during the course weeks and pre-university grades used in the program application were significant factors in subgroups of students, negatively and positively associated with the exam results, respectively. Age, having Swedish as a second language, and time spent studying were only associated with the exam result in the univariate analyses. To conclude, both students and teachers can contribute significantly to successful education within pharmacology, students by participating in the teaching sessions and teachers by encouraging students to find the subject interesting.
药理学方面的足够知识在许多职业中都至关重要，但仍有不可忽视比例的学生考试不及格，且对潜在影响因素的了解十分匮乏。本研究旨在评估在高等教育中，各种因素与学生在药理学相关课程中的表现相关程度，将行政数据与非强制性教学课程的出勤情况以及问卷调查回复相联系。共有596名学生（中位年龄：22岁；70%为女性）纳入研究，这些学生来自瑞典哥德堡萨尔格伦斯卡学院医学、药学、牙科、护理或生物医学分析师学位课程中的八门课程。总体而言，380名（64%）学生通过了常规的课程特定考试。多变量逻辑回归分析显示，非强制性教学课程的高参与率以及对药理学的浓厚兴趣与学生通过考试相关；调整后的优势比（95%置信区间）分别为：1.30（1.19至1.42；出勤率每增加10个百分点）和3.38（1.86至6.12）。课程期间打工以及申请课程时使用的大学预科成绩在部分学生亚组中是重要因素，分别与考试结果呈负相关和正相关。年龄、以瑞典语作为第二语言以及学习时间仅在单变量分析中与考试结果相关。总之，学生和教师都可以对药理学的成功教育做出重大贡献，学生通过参与教学课程，教师通过鼓励学生发现该学科的趣味性。
