Knowledge, Attitudes, and Readiness of Pharmacy Faculty toward Competency-Based Learning in Syrian Universities: A Cross-Sectional Study
TL;DR
Syrian pharmacy faculty demonstrate moderate CBL awareness and favorable adoption attitudes, particularly among younger and female faculty, and a fully validated CBL knowledge-and-attitudes scale is recommended.
Abstract
Background Competency-based learning (CBL) is transformative in health professions education, yet its adoption in Syrian pharmacy education remains unexamined, especially after the country’s prolonged conflict. Methods A cross-sectional study (autumn 2022) surveyed pharmacy faculty across Syrian universities using a validated online questionnaire (response rate: 39.7%; 124/312). Knowledge items were assessed via KR-20 (bootstrap 95% CI). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, ANOVA, Spearman’s correlations, multivariate binary logistic regression, multinomial logistic regression, and wave-based non-response analysis (STROBE-compliant). Results Of 124 respondents, 57.3% were female, 62.1% aged 25–42 years. Knowledge sub-scale consistency was modest (KR-20 = 0.386; 95% bootstrap CI: 0.230–0.509). Prior CBL awareness was 70.2%; support for pedagogical modification (98.4%) and faculty training (87.9%) was near-universal; 89.5% favored CBL adoption (56.5% preferring blended learning). Younger age (aOR = 0.08; p = 0.020) and female gender (aOR = 0.15; p = 0.025) independently predicted positive CBL attitudes (model χ 2 = 28.93, p < 0.001; pseudo-R 2 = 0.348; accuracy = 89.5%). Non-response bias was noted for age and institutional affiliation but not gender. Conclusions Syrian pharmacy faculty demonstrate moderate CBL awareness and favorable adoption attitudes, particularly among younger and female faculty. Intergenerational faculty development and a phased blended national roadmap are recommended. Future research should prioritize a fully validated CBL knowledge-and-attitudes scale.