The lack of an available therapeutic agent for COVID-19 was a big consideration at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Extensive efforts were being made to develop novel therapeutic agents for COVID-19 infections; however, no agents were approved at the time. This was an area that provided real time examples of drug discovery and development.<br/>Drug discovery and development was typically taught as part of an elective course in an in-person format. The COVID-19 pandemic required that the course be delivered in a distance learning format. Maintaining student interest and engagement in the distance learning format course was a potential challenge. Additionally, ensuring that students learned and applied drug design and discovery concepts in the distance learning format was another essential point of consideration.<br/>Students were following the pandemic closely for updates on new drugs including from media coverage. A term paper focused on drug discovery efforts for novel COVID-19 antiviral agents was incorporated in the course. The term paper emphasized the scientific literature instead of general media coverage and tracked a drug`s progress through various FDA approval stages. It also provided students an opportunity to engage in the scientific literature on COVID-19 and better prepare for their future role in managing COVID-19 as pharmacists.<br/>The term paper provided a pedagogical tool to address learning challenges in the distance format. Student learning was assessed based on performance on course examinations. A description of the term paper and student perceptions will be presented.

Teaching drug discovery in the context of COVID-19

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.