Academic performance of students in the subject General and Pharmaceutical Microbiology in pre-pandemic, pandemic and post-pandemic periods

BRAVI, VIVIANA; SILVERO, M. JAZMIN; ROCCA, DIAMELA; PONTE PONCE, MICAELA; LOPEZ VIDAL, LUCIA; MENDEZ-ISARES. CONSUELO; BECERRA, MARIA CECILIA; ALOVERO, FABIANA L.

Rosario

Congreso; 7ma Reunión Internacional de Ciencias Farmacéuticas (RICiFa 2023); 2023

Universidad Nacional de Rosario

It is widely known that the field of education is undergoing methodological changes caused by socioeconomic and technological reasons. The context of the COVID19 pandemic presented additional challenges, necessitating the development of new teaching and assessment strategies.The objective of this work was to analyze the impact of the changes introduced due to the pandemic on the academic performance of students in General and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, a subject corresponding to the 6th semester in the Pharmacy undergraduate program.Various aspects were comparatively analyzed considering three periods: 1) 2018-2019 (pre-pandemic, 100% in-person activities), 2) 2020-2021 (pandemic, 100% virtual activities) and 3) 2022 (post-pandemic, return to in-person activities). In periods (1) and (3) there were two instances of non-mandatory written evaluations, addressing 50% of the contents in the middle of the semester and the remaining 50% at the end of it. During the intra-pandemic period (2), only one integrative evaluation was implemented through the University´s Moodle platform, carried out after completing all the proposed activities. In all cases, a minimum of 60% correct answers was required to pass the exam, assigning 6 points on a scale of 1-10.An average of 84 students per year took the evaluations in the entire period analyzed. Participation in the evaluation instances was variable and without a defined pattern, being 85%, 65%, 86%, 83%, and 74% of the total students authorized to take the subject in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. Interestingly, an increase was observed in the percentage of students who passed evaluations in relation to those who participated, being 41%, 55%, 75%, 80%, and 71.4% for the years 2018 to 2022, respectively. It is worth noting that during the intra-pandemic period (2), both participation rates in the evaluation instances and pass rates increased. Considering all students authorized to take this subject in each of the 3 periods under analysis, in (1) pre-pandemic, 52% of the students passed the evaluations, with the average score being 7.68 points. The percentage reached 75% during the pandemic period (2), with the average score being 7.72 points. Surprisingly, only 33% of the total students passed the evaluations in the last period analyzed (3), although the average score was 7.96 points. The increase in the performance in the intra-pandemic period could be attributed to factors such as greater availability of study time due to health restrictions in times of pandemic. Although it seems that the implementation of various virtual activities during the semester contributed to the learning of the topics addressed, the acquisition of practical skills and abilities in experimental laboratories as part of comprehensive training was affected. The low percentage obtained in the evaluation instances in 2022, the first year of return to in-person activities, should be analyzed in the future to determine whether it is an isolated case or if there are reasons that warrant modification. The COVID-19 pandemic led each institution to adapt and modify teaching methods. Virtual strategies have contributed to improving academic performance in evaluation instances. These results provide valuable information to continue navigating the changing landscape of higher education, giving continuity to activities in hybrid contexts that complement activities at the university.