Tyler's four questions:

1. Why should this educational program exist? What needs of society, students, or the profession can be cited that will justify students spending their time here?
2. What are the goals and objectives of this educational program? Will the goals and objectives meet the identified needs (#1 above)?
3. How will the objectives of the program be met? What learning experiences will be provided for students to meet these objectives?
4. How will we know if, in fact, the objectives of the program have been met? What tests or assessment procedures will we use to measure student learning-achieving the objectives?

1. Why should this educational program exist?

   Administrators and faculty in pharmacy schools are primarily responsible for answering this question. However, preceptors should be in a position to give students a valid answer if they ask the question, "Why are we required to participate in this internship and/or rotation?" One of the greatest forces motivating students to learn is relevance of the content being studied. If students understand why they are learning specific knowledge, skills, and values they are much more likely to be enthusiastic about making an effort to achieve these learning objectives. Preceptors should be prepared to explain how pharmacists contribute to improving health care and how this rotation will help students become competent pharmacists.

2. What are the goals and objectives of this educational program?

   Learning objectives should be developed for each educational experience. Program directors, preceptors and students should all participate in determining what students should learn during their rotations. Program directors should provide a detailed outline of the goals and learning objectives for the internship experience and for each rotation. Preceptors should build on this general list and develop specific learning objectives for their rotations. Each rotation has something special to offer students. It is important that preceptors think about what they can offer students and make every effort to help students achieve all the learning objectives which are assigned to them. Students should be provided the opportunity to participate in certain experiences that will help them achieve their own learning objectives in addition to the objectives assigned from program directors and preceptors.

3. How will the objectives of the program be met?

   Preceptors are primarily responsible for developing learning experiences that will help students achieve all the learning objectives which have been identified. (See #2 above) Each rotation offers a variety of experiences which can help students achieve the assigned learning objectives. Preceptors should think about and plan specific learning experiences to make sure that students develop a fund of knowledge and acquire specific skills required to become a competent pharmacist. (More information is available in the section on "Structured Learning Experiences" and "Orienting Students to the Rotation.")

4. How will we know if, in fact, the objectives of the program have been met?

   This fourth question deals with evaluation of student achievement. Each program director has developed a student assessment plan which requires that preceptors evaluate their students and submit reports to the director. Preceptors should make sure that they are familiar with all forms which need to be completed before the rotation begins and if there is any doubt or confusion they should contact the program director to have all questions answered.

   Three methods of preparing for teaching in the internship program There is a wide variety among preceptors regarding how they prepare to conduct clinical teaching. Some preceptors make little or no preparation to teach. Others plan in great detail what they are going to teach before they ever meet the students. Still others do some initial planning but wait until students actually report for their rotations before they make final preparations for teaching. Preceptors can:

   1. make little or no preparation.
   2. make detailed lesson plans.
   3. plan in collaboration with students.

   Preceptors who choose the first option may spend a lot of time and effort on topics which are not central to the learner's needs. They will not be aware of the learning goals and objectives outlined by the course director, nor will they have thought about the unique learning opportunities their rotation provides for students. The learning experiences students receive will almost exclusively be determined by patients health care needs.

   Preceptors who choose the second option may develop learning experiences which are inappropriate, at least for some students. Students have varied backgrounds and, consequently, some of them may have already achieved the learning objectives which were assigned to their rotation.

   Option three offers the best opportunity for the clinical instruction to meet the needs of all students. It is virtually impossible to complete detailed lesson plans unless the preceptor has a thorough knowledge of which learning objectives the students have achieved and the planned learning objectives assigned to this rotation. Therefore, by discussing with students what their learning needs are and by following a teaching model which allows for students past achievements, an effective educational experience can be developed which will benefit the student and not frustrate the preceptor.

Exercise 10 - Preparing for Teaching in the Internship Program