Palm Beach Atlantic University, Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy, West Palm Beach, FL, USA.
Marshall University, School of Pharmacy, Huntington, WV, USA; Editor, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Arlington, VA, USA.
Am J Pharm Educ. 2023 Aug;87(8):100015. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpe.2022.12.002. Epub 2023 Mar 15.
This integrative review will examine the current literature assessing student workload, outcomes of increased workload and cognitive load, and approaches to evaluate and reduce student workload. Recommendations to better inform curriculum planning efforts will be presented along with a call to action to address the dilemma of student workload and curricular efficiency efforts.
Literature supports that perceptions of heavy workload can influence students' approach to learning and lead to the adoption of surface learning rather than a deep approach that involves higher-order processing and critical thinking. Additionally, ongoing evidence suggests that workload expansion affects student well-being and potential burnout in professional programs, and specifically that students perceive workload as directly related to their well-being and satisfaction. Intentional planning by faculty and programs can address this issue through streamlining classroom content, reducing lecture time, and modifying preclass work to allow for efficient learning. Even if the curriculum is lecture-based, workload perceptions can be affected by developing clearer guidance to set expectations for learners, intentionality in classroom design, and creating opportunities for student engagement.
Cognitive overload is multifactorial and complicated, given the increased standards of professional education accreditation and licensure requirements. As the Academy deliberately considers methods to improve curricular efficiency, there is an opportunity to focus on curriculum delivery with an appropriate balance of breadth and depth of instruction to ensure effective assessment and cognitive load.
本综述旨在考察当前评估学生工作量、增加工作量和认知负荷的结果以及评估和减轻学生工作量的方法的文献。将提出更好地为课程规划工作提供信息的建议，并呼吁解决学生工作量和课程效率方面的困境。
文献支持，对工作量大的看法会影响学生的学习方式，并导致他们采用表面学习，而不是涉及高阶处理和批判性思维的深度学习方法。此外，持续的证据表明，工作量的扩大会影响专业课程中学生的幸福感和潜在的倦怠感，具体来说，学生认为工作量与他们的幸福感和满意度直接相关。教师和课程可以通过精简课堂内容、减少授课时间和修改课前作业来提高学习效率，从而解决这个问题。即使课程以讲座为基础，工作量的认知也会受到为学习者设定期望的更清晰指导、课堂设计的意图以及为学生参与创造机会的影响。
鉴于专业教育认证和许可要求的标准提高，认知过载是多因素和复杂的。随着学院刻意考虑提高课程效率的方法，有机会专注于课程交付，在教学的广度和深度之间取得适当的平衡，以确保有效的评估和认知负荷。
