Title:	IMPACT OF E-LEARNING MODULES ON ENGLISH COMMUNICATION SKILLS AMONG THAI PHARMACYSTUDENTS
Author(s):	Maneerat R. Layton
ISBN:	978-972-8924-42-3
Editors:	Miguel Baptista Nunes and Maggie McPherson (series editors: Piet Kommers, Pedro Isaías and Nian-Shing Chen)
Year:	2006
Edition:	V II, 2
Keywords:	Pharmacy, e-learning, Moodle, English, Thailand
Type:	Short Paper
First Page:	158
Last Page:	162
Language:	English
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Paper Abstract:	The increased availability of technology, including the Internet, allows the faculty to develop web-based modules which can help the pharmacy students enhance their communication skills, especially in English. The objectives of this study were, to develop and evaluate the e-learning modules for enhancing skills in English communication among Thai students in the Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences program, Khon Kaen University (KKU) The open source learning management system called Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) was used to manage the e-learning activities for the 610 314 Pharmacy English course, which was compulsory for the fourth year pharmacy students. The educational web-based learning was based on the necessary skills required in pharmacy practice and preferred qualifications in the competitive job market. Formative evaluation as well as the web board content analysis was used to assess the effect of e-learning modules on pharmacy students’ learning outcomes and their affinity toward English. The evaluation topics on the e-learning modules that were assessed included navigation and usability; content and design; overall knowledge gained and program impact. In respect to the students’ learning performance, exam scores as well as all the instructors’ feedback were explored. In this innovative course, 85 students logged into the e-learning modules but only 83 were pharmacy students who enrolled in the course. Four of the enrollees did not access the web learning modules within the given timeline, however, by the end of the semester there was only one student who never once accessed the modules. Seventy-one students (85.5%) responded to the e-learning evaluation forms while 65 students (78.3%) returned the Faculty assessment forms. Overall, the students were highly satisfied with the course and rated most e-learning aspects highly although some technical barriers were encountered during the KKU e-learning registration process. Most of the students reported that their affinity toward English was enhanced as they became more aware of the importance of English communication skills in pharmacy practice and job application. The positive results of the e-learning modules demonstrate the effectiveness of a web-based educational approach that induces changes in the Thai pharmacy students’ affinity toward English, which results in improved learning outcomes. Nevertheless, further improvements on designing the learning modules include the technical support and facilities as well as the incentive to stimulate the instructors to utilize Moodle to its full capacity.
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