A Model Industry Concept – An Innovative Hybrid Teaching and Learning Technique to Simulate Industrial Attachment Program

Abstract

Observational attachment to the pharmaceutical industry is essential to the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum. However, the manufacturing scheduling in the industry, duration of attachment, and schedules fixed by teaching institutes, increasing placement requirements from the growing number of students, and the pharmacy schools are significant constraints for the industry to accommodate students. An alternative concept comparable to an actual observational attachment program was developed at an international medical university. Videos were produced by the faculty of pharmaceutical technology on individual themes for manufacturing different pharmaceutical dosage forms. For a particular industrial theme, videos presented industrial concepts, core processes, instrumentation, quality control, and qualitative interviews of senior industrial personnel related to the theme. Different themes were assigned to other groups of students. On a particular day, students were shown videos, and the students presented supervisor-guided PowerPoint presentations and posters related to the theme, followed by a discussion of the questions and answer sessions. Each day, students updated their logbooks. The students evaluated the alternative program's effectiveness through their anonymous but written feedback on each day, feedback from the logbook, and independent formal feedback. In their anonymous and logbook feedback, 70% and 72% of students regarded the concept as compelling, 67% and 70% as informative, and 69% and 73% interesting, respectively. A high mean agreeability, more than 5.50 on a 6-point Likert scale, indicated that the concept fulfilled its objectives, delivered well, and the faculty supervisors played their roles well. The idea is a feasible alternative for real industrial attachments.