Inclusive Pharmacology: Using Objective Structured Practical Examinations (OSPEs) to Identify Knowledge Gaps in Pharmacology Undergraduates

This paper explores the learning benefit of an inclusive Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) in a second-year biomolecular integrative pharmacology course to identify gaps in student knowledge and evaluate their confidence in applying their knowledge in the laboratory setting. The OSPE was co-designed through incorporating input from students and staff across academic, teaching-focussed, technical and administrative job categories. The aim of its introduction was to aid formative feedback as students transition from different levels of pharmacology study. While further research is needed to fully evaluate the long-term impact of this approach across our student cohorts, this project suggests that OSPEs can effectively identify key gaps in student practical skills and provide valuable feedback for both students and educators on how improvements can be made in an applied pharmacology setting. We anticipate that wide-spread sharing of best practices learned from different OSPE formats will be an inclusive educational resource for the wider pharmacology educator community who must teach the discipline as part of an integrated curriculum.