Research and Implementation Grant Project to be Shared at Upcoming National Conference

Findings from a recent Drake Institute Research and Implementation (R&I) Grant-supported study led by Ohio State’s Molly Downing, Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmacy Education and Innovation, will be shared at the upcoming 2022 Online Learning Consortium Accelerate Conference. Along with colleagues Cynthia Canan and Tessa Miracle, Downing applied Dee Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning to investigate student learning and intrinsic motivation to engage in positive health behaviors following their experience in an online course that explored America’s drug-taking culture.

In speaking to the impact of this project on enhancing instruction and supporting student success, Downing notes that while findings are preliminary, it appears that in this asynchronous distance learning course, “…backward design principles coupled with Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning helped strengthen student’s health promotion behaviors around medication use.”

Funds provided in support of the project through the R&I grant award were applied toward participant incentives, required technologies, and a student assistant. Downing also spoke to the broader impact of the award on the team’s engagement in the Scholarship of Teaching in Learning. “Without this award, this project would likely still exist as an interesting idea circulating in my brain!”

R&I grants are available to all Ohio State faculty and associated faculty including tenured, tenure track, clinical, adjunct and lecturers who are ≥ 75% appointment and regularly teaching at the Columbus or regional campuses. For more information on how to apply, contact drakeinstitute@osu.edu or visit https://drakeinstitute.osu.edu/research-support.