Binghamton School of Pharmacy wins national grant for research on ’overachievers’

The Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences recently received a grant from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), a national pharmacy organization that supports academicians who are teaching in pharmacy schools or colleges of pharmacy across the country.

The organization has a variety of ways to help develop faculty members, enable more student success and advance pharmacy education in the U.S. One of them is the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) grant, which was given to the Office of Experiential Education at the School of Pharmacy.

Nicholas Schwier, assistant dean of experiential education at the School of Pharmacy, talked about SOTL's wide reach: "It's an area where a lot of Pharmacy Practice faculty across the country, whether they're pharmacists, practicing pharmacists or in the pharmaceutical sciences realm or health outcomes, will engage in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. This involves the use of pedagogy and different andrological principles to help students be successful."

The AACP SOTL grant is a competitive national grant aimed at advancing pharmacy education. For the School of Pharmacy, the funding will be used to carry out a research project focused on high-achieving learners, commonly known as overachievers, in the experiential setting.

Judith DeLuca, associate dean for academic and student affairs, explained that research on high-performing learners is commonly overshadowed: "As educators, we frequently focus our attention on underperforming students. The reason for that is to make sure we are providing the support necessary for their success. This research highlights the professional development needs of high-performing students."

Some of the areas where they're helping high-performing students are setting appropriate goals, identifying signs of perfectionism, embracing a growth mindset, recognizing imposter syndrome and achieving a healthy work-life balance.

"The ultimate goal is to engage all students in their learning and professional development, improving their readiness for the workplace," DeLuca said.

One of the aspects that educators are most excited about with this grant is involving their students in every step of the research.

"They're not only gaining hands-on experience but also have the chance to present at the AACP meeting, sharing insights that could shape future preceptor strategies for supporting high-performing learners," Schwier said.

Not just the students will benefit from this grant. Marissa Langett, an experiential specialist with the School of Pharmacy, touched on how this grant also will help preceptors teaching their high-performing students.

"This grant seeks to gain a deeper understanding of preceptor teaching styles and their adaptability to various student needs," Langett said. "By exploring how preceptors adjust their approaches, we can foster a more dynamic and supportive learning environment tailored to each unique student."

While Schwier says he was a bit shocked when he first learned they won the grant, he credits his team and their hard work on this topic: "This was our first time working together, and I didn't have as much experience with it, but we have a really great idea and others believe in it as well. We are all passionate about this research topic and will continue to work together to execute our goals."