At the inception of the 2021-2022 school year, the PCOM PharmD program received a critical change in the way we're being taught. We will no longer receive PowerPoint lectures to assist with our learning. This change was intended to encourage more students to actively read the textbooks but has caused distress and uncertainty within the PharmD program.

The objective of removing PowerPoints from us was to encourage reading the textbook before each class to be better prepared. While it is necessary for the students to read the textbooks and be prepared for class, many students argue this change is overwhelming. The PowerPoints served as a guide for the reading. Oftentimes, the reading from the textbooks is dense and not easily comprehendible. The PowerPoints shed light on what was read within the textbooks in a more digestible way which enlightened our comprehension. This change is causing many students to feel unprepared during class because much of what was read at home is not fully comprehended, and the time spent in class is being used to write down everything the professor is saying and not understanding it.

The PCOM PharmD student body is requesting PowerPoints be reinstated into the curriculum for the following reasons:

1. Majority of the time spent during the lecture is being used attempting to copy down everything that is on the slide instead of actively listening and comprehending what the professor is saying.
2. Our education is expensive, we should be given every available resource to aid with our success.
3. Not all students learn the same way. All academic resources/options should be provided so each student can customize a learning plan that promotes his/her success; you have visual learners, kinetic learners, etc.; If one student is left behind in the lecturing because of not utilizing all resources of ways to teach that’s one student too many.
4. PowerPoints help with direction for the students, two different students may take from the reading a topic that he or she feels is the thesis, however, the test may reflect neither opinion. The PowerPoints keeps a guideline for reading.
5. Repetition is key in converting information from our short-term to long-term memory. Taking away a source of repetition is hurting the learning process.