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Teaching Tomorrow's Pharmacists Midwestern University's Chicago College of Pharmacy

Summer 2020

A newsletter from the Chicago College of Pharmacy (CCP) highlighting campus and college news.

For resources related to precepting CCP students, please visit: www.midwestern.edu/ccppreceptors

CCP Welcomes Dr. Emerson as New Dean

Midwestern University's Chicago College of Pharmacy is proud to announce the appointment of Mitchell R. Emerson, Ph.D., as Dean. Dr. Emerson is additionally the Dean of Midwestern University's College of Pharmacy – Glendale (CPG) and was appointed to this expanded leadership position upon the retirement of Dean Nancy F. Fjortoft, Ph.D. This appointment comes as a result of the University’s continued growth in healthcare education and the impending merger of the two Midwestern University colleges of pharmacy.

Dr. Emerson joined CPG in 2003 and was appointed Dean in 2014. He previously held the administrative positions of Assistant and then Associate Dean of Academic Programs, as well as interim Chair of Pharmacy Practice. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Kansas and completed a four-year fellowship studying multiple sclerosis at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, KS. He is a tenured Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences, lecturing in pharmacology and human physiology.

In assuming his new dual role, he believes having a balanced physical presence on both the Illinois and Arizona campuses is essential in developing an effective leadership. “Since last July I had been commuting to the Downers Grove Campus nearly every other week until travel restrictions were put in place the middle of March. Time spent on the Downers Grove Campus was essential as I am becoming attuned to all the dynamics here,” he said. When it is more safe to do so, he will resume his travel between the two campuses. In the meantime, video technology has enabled his presence on the Illinois campus.

Under Dr. Emerson's leadership, CCP recently announced its intent to adopt a single three-calendar year curriculum, similar to the program offered in Glendale. As a result, several pharmacy faculty committees comprised of members from both colleges are working together to develop the new curriculum for CCP, as well as modify the curriculum at CPG.

“I really appreciate the strength of CCP’s faculty and curriculum,” comments Dr. Emerson. “As we align our two colleges and move towards ‘oneness,’ it is advantageous to recognize the best practices of each curriculum and adopt them across both programs where possible for the benefit of all of our Midwestern University pharmacy students. I am looking forward to that future result.” Other strengths within the professional programs in significant areas like research, co-curricular activities, and community outreach will also be shared and collaboration promoted between the two campuses.

Summer 2021 Will Launch New Three-Calendar-Year Curriculum

CCP is pleased to announce the transition to a new three-calendar-year Pharm.D. curriculum. This new program will welcome incoming students in June 2021 with an eventual May graduation date. This new, innovative curriculum will continue to provide the high-quality pharmacy and experiential education that Midwestern University is long known for, in an efficient timeframe for the benefit of our students.

The current three-and-a-half-year and alternative three-year curricula will be phased out as those students successfully complete those programs and graduate.

The new three-calendar-year curriculum is currently in development. For details as they become available, please visit www.midwestern.edu/ccp.

Dean Fjortoft Retires

In January, Midwestern University administrators, faculty, staff, and students congratulated and extended their best wishes to Nancy Fjortoft, Ph.D., Dean of the Chicago College of Pharmacy from 2006 to 2020, on her retirement.

Dr. Fjortoft joined the University in 1997 and held positions of Acting Department Chair, Assistant Dean, and Associate Dean before being promoted to Dean in 2006. Her leadership extended beyond campus boundaries, as she collaborated with a wide network of colleagues and presented at national association meetings. She held the position of Associate Editor for the American Journal of Pharmacy Education from 2015 to 2019. And in 2019, she was honored on campus with the “Chicago College of Pharmacy Outstanding Faculty Award” for her commitment to excellence in pharmacy education.

The Midwestern University community has been the beneficiary of Dr. Fjortoft’s dedicated leadership over the years and wishes her all the best as she enjoys time with her family, as well as professional contribution opportunities.

CCP Faculty Quickly Switch Gears to a Virtual Environment

Traditional pharmacy school is known to be filled with in-person lectures, group work, lab exercises, and clinical skills learning. So how did all that shift at CCP during the mandatory coronavirus stay-at-home order that spanned nearly the entire spring quarter?

Teaching Tomorrow’s Pharmacists reached out to the CCP department chairs to learn more about how this process took place for faculty. Fortunately, when the COVID-19 health crisis hit, CCP faculty were already video recording their lectures in lecture halls, a practice that began in fall quarter of 2019. Once the recordings are uploaded onto Canvas sites (previously, Blackboard), students can replay lectures at their leisure to help strengthen their understanding of the material.

Still, it was an adjustment for CCP faculty to then learn to conduct and record lectures in their homes, sometimes with small children at bay or while managing other issues not prevalent in their typical teaching environment. Dr. Shridhar Andurkar, Chair of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, and Dr. Susan Winkler, Chair of the Pharmacy Practice Department, share their insights as they supported faculty during this unprecedented time.

Q. How did faculty transition their lectures to a virtual environment?

Dr. Andurkar: Some Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty provided live lectures using WebEx. Many others pre-recorded lectures primarily using Kaltura (the platform already in place) with voiceover and PowerPoint.

A few others used the document cameras that are commonly used in lecture halls because their teaching involves writing and highlighting in lectures. Our Information Technology Services Department allowed faculty to check out the cameras for use when teaching at home. These cameras can be connected to personal computers or laptops via a USB drive. Paper documents or handouts can then be placed on the document camera and anything written is projected on the computer screen. The Kaltura program then captures the screen when recording, so faculty members can deliver their lecture just as they would in a lecture hall using the document camera.

This was especially useful to faculty who need to write a lot. Robin Zavod, Ph.D., Professor, teaches Introduction to Drug Structure Evaluation, where she needs to write on top of drug chemical structures in the handout. Shaifali Bhalla, Ph.D., Associate Professor, also used one for her Introduction to Biopharmaceutics course, where she needs to write a lot of equations when teaching.

In addition, faculty conducted office hours and live help sessions over Zoom and WebEx. Many faculty recorded these sessions and posted them on Canvas.

Dr. Winkler: Our Pharmacy Practice faculty used a mix of live, virtual lectures using WebEx, as well as recordings using Kaltura. We utilized the block schedule for our live lecture times. All live and pre-recorded lectures were posted to Canvas regardless of the format of the initial lecture.

I would say about 70% of our lectures were recorded using Kaltura. The rest were held live, but they were also recorded and later posted. As the quarter progressed, we also gained access to MS Teams, Canvas Conference, and Zoom, but these were newer platforms for faculty, so these were used less this past spring. As we become more comfortable with these, they may be used to a greater extent going forward, if we need them.

Q. Workshops and Labs: How were these coordinated in a virtual world?

Dr. Andurkar: Fortunately, the required Pharmaceutical Sciences courses did not involve any laboratory-based activities. They were all classroom lecture in nature. However, some courses did involve workshops. In such cases, faculty converted the workshop exercises into homework assignments. Students then took a quiz associated with the workshop in Canvas.

Dr. Winkler: We had several alternate course delivery methods in place. For example, our Hospital Pharmacy Practice course for PS-1 students covers learning to effectively dress in medical apparel, sterile compounding, and IV preparation, plus a number of other topics. This course is lab-based, so that students can learn and practice these techniques in person. However, there was no live lab during the spring quarter. So we streamlined the content that was essential for students to practice and demonstrate competency, and we have postponed the in-person lab portion until we can safely have small groups in the lab again.

Other course content was taught using videos that were developed by Katie Wdowiarz, Assistant Professor and Lab Director. These videos demonstrated techniques in the compounding hood for students. Students were responsible for the calculations component of the labs.

Q. Was the Clinical Skills Center (CSC) available at all?

Dr. Winkler: The CSC provided virtual instruction during this time. We have an Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE): Clinical Skills & Simulation I course in spring for PS-2 students. The workshops were converted to virtual, however the interactions with the standardized patients were canceled. Some of the course content that requires hands-on training, such as blood-pressure measurement and other clinical skills, will be taught to these students in their IPPE: Clinical Skills & Simulation II in the fall quarter.

Q. How did remote exams work? And how was academic integrity maintained?

Dr. Andurkar: Faculty primarily used the Respondus LockDown Browser. Once a student logs in, he/she was given a specific time limit to complete and submit the exam. Faculty and teaching assistants (TAs) monitored student logins through the duration of the exam. Some faculty designed a unique exam for each student to maintain academic integrity.

Dr. Winkler: We used the Testing Center’s software, as well as Canvas for online exams during the quarter. Students were given a specific time limit that was usually less time than would have been allowed under live, proctored conditions. Students could not return to previous questions.

Q. What was the biggest surprise in this transition to an online learning environment?

Dr. Andurkar: Students were very generous in their appreciation of the efforts made by faculty. Also, pleasantly surprising was the efficiency with which faculty were able to adapt to online teaching, learning, and assessments.

Dr. Winkler: The biggest surprise for me was how quickly all of our faculty stepped up the challenge, and converted lab sessions, reviews sessions, and workshops to virtual. Faculty, including myself, also had to learn these new platforms and figure out how to communicate with students in this new environment. I think this demonstrates their dedication to students.

Q. What was the biggest challenge?

Dr. Andurkar: The biggest challenges for faculty were ensuring timely recording of lectures, altering the mode in the delivery of workshops, related quizzes, and assessments, as well as managing the administration of exams, preserving exam integrity, and creating measures to assure academic integrity.

Dr. Winkler: The biggest challenge has been the communication piece. In my Pharmacy Law course, I was concerned about the students, and it was difficult to know if they were on track or struggling. It was also difficult to make sure all faculty were doing well and managing all of their stressors.

Q. Speaking of stressors, how were faculty supported during this time?

Dr. Andurkar: Some of our faculty have children, and it was very challenging for them to manage childcare and also be available for lecture recording, online office hours, and online exams. In the midst of all this activity, we scheduled a Microsoft Teams video conference to celebrate the transition of Medha Joshi, Ph.D., Associate Professor, to CPG. The meeting was very well attended by CCP faculty and staff, who wished Dr. Joshi well in her move to the Arizona Campus.

Dr. Winkler: Many of our faculty have small children that were home with them, some had patients to treat at their clinical sites, and all had to rapidly adjust their teaching norms.

To support our CCP faculty across both departments, we set up a few virtual sessions where they could share best practices, seek opinions, and simply connect with one another. I held two open forums where faculty could join in and bring up any topics for discussion and feedback. Jill Borchert, Pharm.D., Professor and Vice Chair, and Brooke Griffin Pharm.D., Professor and Vice Chair, each held a session on a specific topic: Telehealth and Teaching Virtually. We also held Friday afternoon Happy Hours to allow everyone to unwind, and CCP’s Wellness Committee held one Friday evening Game Night.

Q. Are there any final thoughts you’d like to share?

Drs. Andurkar and Winkler: Thankfully, all of our faculty and staff remained safe and well. However, we all miss the students in class and on campus! We are looking forward to safely welcoming our students back in small groups this Fall.

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