Usefulness of hybrid small group learning and age-mixing method in early exposure learning in 2006 and 2007

In 2006 the Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University has introduced an early exposure learning into the first-year curriculum of the 6-year pharmacy education system, with the aim of "understanding of patients," "enhancing motivation to learn pharmacy," and "understanding of the roles of pharmacists in the clinical setting". This program has three approaches: "active learning", "hybrid small group learning (SGL)" and "age-mixing". The 2006 questionnaire survey on this program revealed some disadvantages, including the inability of student facilitators to get the program in perspective, due to their lack of numbers and time assigned to each group. In response to the survey results, steps were taken to rectify these defects. Accordingly, in the 2007 questionnaire survey, the first-year undergraduates, student facilitators and faculty facilitators responded that the program was achieving its aims. In particular, they acknowledged the usefulness of "age-mixing" and "hybrid SGL" as educational approaches fundamental to the 6-year education system. Thus, in 2007 the program became more useful through our efforts to remedy the issues pointed out in 2006, including the low degree of understanding of "age-mixing" among the first-year undergraduates, and poor assignment of student facilitators to each group. The challenges for 2008 include further enhancing motivation of first-year undergraduates regarding SGL and establishment of a method for student facilitator intervention in SGL. Focusing on these challenges, we will continue our efforts to enhance the quality of pharmaceutical education through such approaches as early exposure learning.