Lab Smarts: Stability Simplified

Project Overview

Pharmacy students working in compounding labs need to recognize signs of drug instability before medications are dispensed.

This microlearning module helps students practice identifying physical vs. chemical stability issues during a simulated lab inspection. Learners review several compounded preparations and decide whether what they observe represents physical instability, chemical instability, or normal variation.

I redesigned a text-heavy resource into a short, applied learning experience that supports real lab tasks. The course was built in Articulate Rise as a short, just-in-time training students can complete quickly before working in the lab.

The Challenge

The original training resource was a 20-page text-heavy PDF explaining drug stability concepts. While the information was accurate, it required a lot of reading and didn’t give students a way to practice recognizing stability issues visually, which is a key skill in compounding labs.

Students often memorize definitions but struggle to apply the concepts when evaluating medications during lab work. The goal of this redesign was to turn the content into a short, applied learning experience that better supports lab readiness.

My Role

As the Instructional Designer and Learning Experience Designer, I:

• analyzed the original material

• redesigned the content into a microlearning format

• created scenario-based knowledge checks and an Interactive activity

• developed the course in Articulate Rise

Design Approach

Instead of presenting the material as reference content, I designed the module as a lab inspection activity. Learners take on the role of a pharmacy student completing a stability check before medications are dispensed. They evaluate several preparations and determine whether the issue represents:

• physical instability

• chemical instability

• normal variation

Each decision includes feedback explaining the stability issue and why it matters in a compounding environment.

Solution 

The final course is a short interactive module that allows pharmacy students to practice evaluating compounded medications in a simulated lab setting.

The experience includes:

• short scenario-based activities

• visual inspection of medications

• knowledge checks with feedback

This approach helps learners move beyond memorizing definitions and start recognizing real stability issues they may encounter in the lab.

Impact

Instead of memorizing definitions, students can practice identifying stability issues through visual cues and decision-making, which are skills they need during compounding labs. This shift moves the experience from passive reading to applied practice, helping students better prepare for real compounding lab scenarios. 

The microlearning format also makes the content more accessible as a quick refresher before compounding labs, supporting just-in-time learning. This new format ensures the content is now easier to review, increasing the likelihood that learners will actually use it before lab work.