Building Blocks: Longitudinal vs. Blocked Structured Curriculum

Christine Dimaculangan

PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Resident

University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

During my career as a pharmacy student, the learning model was a longitudinal model or a model in which we learned everything through subject matters (i.e. pharmacology, immunology, pharmaceutics, etc.). As I was ending my career as a pharmacy student, the pharmacy curriculum at my alma mater was preparing to change over to the module-based learning model. What does this mean for students? Is this learning model something that all pharmacy schools should be striving towards?  In this piece, I will be exploring what makes the blocked learning module a model that we should or should not be moving forward with in the world of pharmacy education.

Module-based learning “packages course content into shorter, logically self-contained units which cover the content usually covered by a conventional longer course.”¹ This model (theoretically) allows for students to grasp concepts in its entirety before moving unto another subject matter. It also allows for students to hone in on what subject matter they truly need to focus on; in cases where students might not succeed in grasping concepts in the first go around, they are able to just focus on what they may have missed in the initial session. Cornford also mentions in his article how advantageous it is to teach in such a model because of the flexibility it lends itself. It may be simpler to create content in the classroom when the curriculum is in the module format because it has a more focused approach, as opposed to a generalized approach in the traditional setting.

Along with the other things mentioned previously, this “shorter” and “condensed” model lends itself to allow specific concepts to be addressed at the forefront. It also allows for additional experts in each area to bring their knowledge to the table and bring differences in perspectives, allowing for a more enriching environment. While it may seem like something that takes more work than anticipated, in the long run, the flexibility may overturn the complications of planning. In the long run, students may retain the information better because of how condensed and specific it is.

While there may be excellent points to use this kind of model, there are always cons and areas of improvement that should be taken into consideration. After all, nothing is perfect. Due to the condensed nature of this model, it is noted that there might not be adequate time to ensure feedback is given, both from the perspective of the student and of the professor. There is also the question of whether the condensed version of these topics may be too condensed and whether or not everything that students should know is encompassed in the information that is presented. Given its nature, there are not many times where a review or recap is done, and this is in order to get all the new information disseminated appropriately.

Module-based learning may sometimes also be called problem-based learning and in a literature review by Albanese and colleagues, they found that students performed as well (if not better), faculty tended to enjoy teaching in this manner, and found that this model is more nurturing in nature. Despite such great feedback, there were instances where students taught in this model scored lower on science examinations and felt less prepared in the basic sciences.  They concluded that before such changes were to occur to a traditionally structured curriculum, that certain things should be taken into consideration: the extent faculty is involved in the curriculum, cost of the education, individualized processing of the material, and the high utilization yielded by students who have learned through this approach.²

Take home point: The grass may not be greener on the other side. As a student, I have heard of this approach but was not exposed to this kind of a model. Having heard and read about this approach, I would have liked to incorporate a little bit of this model and see how it would fair me during my clinical practice today.  While there may be benefits to this model there are also some disadvantages to learning with this type of model. The beauty with using this model is that it may work for some students and may not with others, even more reason to have a hybrid approach; a little bit of a problem-based approach and a little bit of the traditional approach. In education, it is about disseminating information in a way where students feel in control with what they learn, because that internal motivation is what will give them the drive to continuously curious. Module-based learning is another way to combat the internal motivation, or lack thereof.

References:

1.    Cornford IR. Ensuring effective learning from modular courses: a cognitive, journal of Vocational Education and Training, 49:2,237-251.

2.    Albanese MA, Mitchell S. Problem-based learning: a review of literature on its outcomes and implementation issues. Acad Med 1993 Aug;68(8):615.