2020 Volume 4 Article ID: 2020-016
A previous study examining student learning achievements revealed that the regular examination pass rate decreased annually in a second-year pharmaceutical immunology course from 2011 to 2013 at the Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University. A lecture method based on the psychology of learning was designed and implemented to address this decline. The psychology of learning defines knowledge acquisition as completing memory processes, such as encoding, storing, and retrieving. Attributing the poor learning achievements to difficulty with these three processes, approaches to improve memory were adopted in 2014. They included “encoding” by conducting pre- and post-tests, “storing” by explaining the importance of solving practice problems for training, and “retrieving” by distributing sets of practice problems with the answers and explanations. The result was that the examination pass rate increased by 40.1% from the previous year with a mean score increase of 15. Encoding approaches were also used in 2015, resulting in an exam mean score increase to over 80 from 2016 onward. As of 2019, these approaches continue to maintain high educational effectiveness.
