From Classroom to Cleanroom: Evaluating Industrial Field Visits as a Pedagogical Tool in Parenteral Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Quality Control Education

This study investigates the educational impact of an industrial field visit on the learning experience of second-year pharmacy students at Qatar University. The visit, integrated within the Pharmaceutics II course (PHAR 310), was designed to complement theoretical instruction by providing exposure to real-world pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality control processes, particularly for parenteral dosage forms. A mixed-methods approach was employed using quantitative and qualitative data derived from post-visit questionnaires. Findings indicated that students reported positive perceptions of the experience, with the majority indicating improved understanding of key pharmaceutical manufacturing concepts and strong support for the inclusion of similar activities within the curriculum. Qualitative analysis further suggested that the visit facilitated contextualization of theoretical knowledge, enhanced engagement, and supported early professional awareness. While these findings suggest that structured industrial visits may serve as a valuable complementary educational strategy in pharmacy training, the results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size and single-institution design. Further research incorporating larger cohorts, objective learning assessments, and longitudinal evaluation is underway to better establish the educational impact of these interventions.