UAMS College of Pharmacy Professor Receives Grant to Promote Active Learning
| Rachel Stafford, Pharm.D., an associate professor of pharmacy practice with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy, was recently awarded a $2,485 Educational Innovations grant from the UAMS Division of Academic Affairs to support active learning techniques for faculty members.
Often, classroom instruction involves assigned reading and lectures where students listen passively. Active learning uses multiple different strategies, such as group activities, role play, and technology to keep students engaged. There are also other, smaller changes that can help, such as changing the way that an instructor directs a group activity to make it more impactful.
“I’ve heard someone say, ‘If you aren’t thinking, you aren’t learning,’” Stafford said. “We want our students to truly participate in learning, so we want them to do the thinking, synthesizing and evaluating, rather than just listening to the content. This doesn’t always require highly structured teaching methods, which is what many faculty fear.”
Stafford’s project, entitled “Evaluating the Impact of Faculty Development on Active Learning Implementation,” focuses on enabling faculty to absorb active learning strategies so that they are better equipped to use them in the classroom.
“There’s a ton of research showing that active learning improves learning outcomes, but the problem is that few faculty have formal training in using active learning strategies, so they may not feel confident to design and deliver courses using these methods,” Stafford said. “This lack of training can make it tough for them to run their courses effectively, which can lead to less student participation and some pushback against these new techniques.”
Stafford said she wanted to write a grant that allowed faculty the opportunity to have “robust” training in promoting active learning in their classrooms. The College of Pharmacy is making significant revisions to its curriculum beginning with the fall 2025 semester. Part of those revisions include the use of contemporary and evidence-based instruction, like active learning.
Stafford’s grant will allow College of Pharmacy faculty access to the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE)’s courses promoting active learning. The six-week course focuses on ways to develop lectures, note-taking skills and ways to encourage effective class discussions, all with active learning in mind.
The UAMS Educational and Student Success Center, a part of the Division of Academic Affairs, offers and administers a limited number of Educational Innovations grants each year. The grants encourage innovations that improve teaching and learning outcomes at UAMS. Stafford’s proposal was one of only three projects selected for funding this year.