LAUSR

Objective. To review mastery learning and provide recommendations for implementation in a competency-based curriculumFindings. Mastery learning was introduced in the 1960s. Its goal is to ensure all students reach a desired level of mastery or competency. In this model, students acquire knowledge, skills or attitudes, complete formative assessments on that learning and if they achieve the desired level, can proceed to enrichment activities. Students who do not meet the desired level of mastery, proceed through corrective activities and retest. Evidence suggests students within a mastery learning model perform better academically than non-mastery models with moderate effect sizes. There are several theoretical reasons why mastery learning can result in better performance including aspects of motivation, testing and feedback.Conclusion. We make several recommendations on how to modernize mastery learning for the pharmacy education classroom including the use of more cumulative testing and assessment of baseline knowledge and skills. In addition, models of successive relearning may be applied to this model.