Creative Education
2010. Vol.1, No.3, 135-137
Copyright © 2010 SciRes. DOI:10.4236/ce.2010.13021
Using Integrating Method to Teach Biochemical Pharmacy
Technology
Chunchao Han
School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, P.R China.
Email: chunchaoh@126.com
Received December 20th, 2009; revised February 7th, 2010; accepted September 16th, 2010.
An integrating method to teach Biochemical Pharmacy Technology was developed to help students understand
the technology to produce biochemical pharmacy well in this paper. By the integrating method, students can
compare the main content of the biochemical pharmacy and the technology to produce them. Students were en-
couraged to demonstrate the connection and difference of the various biochemical pharmacies. The results
showed that the performance of students with integrating method is significantly better than that of students
without integrating method (p < 0.05). In conclusion, integrating method can enhance students’ performance on
Biochemical Pharmacy Technology.
Keywords: Curricular Innovations, BPT, BP, Integrating Method
Intr od uc t ion
Biochemical Pharmacy Technology (BP T) is the major cur-
riculum at the School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of
Traditional Chinese Medicine in the fourth -professional year of
pharmacy students. At this stage of their education, students
typically have difficulty grasping all kinds of Biochemical
Pharmaceutics (BP). Many students have learned to rely on rote
memorization about course material. However, the performance
of them is very poor. Approaches reported to facilitate student
learning include intermeshing different teaching modes/strate-
gies, changing the pace of lectures and active learning, all of
which are intended to stimulate student thinking and reflection
on the subject matter (Matthews, 1997; Ruhl, Hughes, &
Schloss, 1987). Active learning can be approached in numerous
ways and, classically, is thought to involve student discussions
in small groups (McKeachie, 1999). New method is interac-
tive-learning techniques, such as WebCT quizzes (D uska , 2004).
However, none of these methods is about how to learn BPT
wel l.
Integrating method (IM) was selected as a learning process at
the School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional
Chinese Medicine si nce 2004. It involves students in meaning-
ful learning because the process engages possible affiliation of
all kinds of Biochemical Pharmaceutics (BP) to students. The
learning tends to be long lasting because the new knowledge is
related to and integrated within a person’s existing knowledge.
According to the cognitive learning theory, the brain learns
most effectively by relating new experiences and knowledge to
prior knowledge, and that meaningful learning requires delibe-
rate effort to link new knowledge with higher-order, more in-
clusive concepts in a person’s cognitive structure (Roth &
Roychoudhury, 1993). The interactive compensatory model for
learning (ICML) also suggests that prior knowledge is the most
important component when predicting whether new learning
will be successful. There is widespread agreement that prior
knowledge is the largest factor in successful new learning
(Shapiro, 2004).
Design
Learning Objectives
Biochemical Pharmacy Technology (BPT) is designed to
provide a preparation and analysis of the Biochemical Pharma-
ceutics (BP) with an emphasis on the methods to manufacture
them.
With the approval of the School of Pharmacy, Shandong
University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a primary objec-
tive of the IM was first set. It was to help students acquire and
retain a sound biochemical pharmaceutical knowledge base, to
learn to use indexing and pharmacy literature resources, to
know how to prepare the BP and how to control the quality of
them.
Integrating Method (IM) Steps
The students had learned organic chemistry, biochemistry
and pharmacology in the former thre e -professional years. It was
the prior knowledge to the students. Also, the BP grasped by
the students was the prior knowledge, the BP will be learnt is
the new experiences. One BP by one BP,all the BPS will be
grasped by the students eventually (Figure 1).
The main Biochemical Pharmaceutics (BP ) may be included
in the Table 1. Firstly, from the Table 1, the students can grasp
the main BP according to their chara ct eristic.
Secondly, the affiliation and diffe r ence of different Bio-
chemical Pharmaceutics (BP) were set up. The affiliation be-
tween BPT and the former three subjects was also set up. Fig-
ure 2 was the example of Polypeptides.
From 2004, the integrating metho d was used in teaching of
Biochemical Pharmacy Technology. It was taught by one in-
s truc tor. I compared the performance of students taught using
an integrating method or a traditional lecture format on tradi-
tional exams.