Objective. To determine instructional best practice recommendations for use of blended learning from the students’ perspective. Methods. Three focus groups were created, one for each of the first three years at a school of pharmacy. The focus group discussions were audio recorded and transcribed for content analysis. Results. Ten instructional best practices were identified from the focus groups: setting the stage, consistency when team teaching, timeliness in posting materials, time on task, accountability for online activities, use of structured active learning, instructor use of feedback on student preparation, incorporation of student feedback into the course, short reviews of online material during class, and ensuring technologies are user friendly. Conclusion. Instructors using blended learning should consider incorporating these best practices into their course design and management. More evaluation is needed to see if implementation of these practices affects student performance.

Objective. A direct observation and rating of students’ interprofessional teamwork skills was added as a required activity to an advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) curriculum using the Individual Teamwork Observation and Feedback Tool (iTOFT). The objective of this evaluation was to determine the appropriateness and feasibility of iTOFT implementation during APPEs. Methods. In the academic year 2018-2019, preceptors administered iTOFT at least once during required acute care and ambulatory care APPEs. After administration, which involved direct observation of students’ behavior on an interprofessional team, preceptors evaluated iTOFT results and offered feedback to students. To determine implementation success of the iTOFT activity, an implementation satisfaction survey was administered to preceptors and students, which included questions on appropriateness and feasibility. Results. The iTOFT activity was completed 149 times each during required acute care and ambulatory care APPEs. Results demonstrated positive teamwork behaviors; for example, no students received an ‘inappropriate’ rating on any iTOFT item. The implementation survey response rate was 33% (34/102) for preceptors and 40% (50/125) for students. Both groups reported that the iTOFT activity was feasible. Respondents also reported that completing the iTOFT activity did not interfere with workflow and that it was not difficult to find opportunities to complete it. Per preceptor report, mean time to complete the iTOFT activity was 37.7 minutes, but there were concerns identified about fidelity to all iTOFT steps. Conclusion. Incorporation of the iTOFT activity into required acute and ambulatory care APPEs was feasible. Future directions include determining ways to increase iTOFT fidelity.