A hybrid jigsaw approach to teaching renal clearance concepts

Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness of using a jigsaw cooperative learning approach to teach basic concepts of renal clearance to pharmacy students. Design. Students collected information on the mechanisms of renal clearance for a particular drug and proposed a methodology for circumventing a urine drug screen. Attitudinal surveys, an online quiz, and course examinations were used to assess student learning. Assessment. The majority of students felt apprehensive toward a group assignment prior to the exercise, and afterwards still preferred individual work over group work. Post-exercise quiz and final examination scores showed students successfully learned the material. Conclusions. Students were successful in learning from each other and there was no difference in examination performance compared to years when the technique was not used. In addition, the relative negative experiences of previous group work decreased the subjective attitudes related to the current learning experience.