Abstract:

Reducing the high University dropout rate in Europe remains a challenge currently pending across the continent and particularly in Spain. Although the average level of knowledge imparted by the Spanish University is 'worthy', “Cátedra UNESCO” warns that the University abandons in Spain (30%) almost double EU average (16%, data referred to the fifteen countries that formed the EU before extension).
With these data in mind, we can be attributed part of the intolerable dropout in Spain to the 'passivity' and 'stiffness' of University teaching method leading to doing away with the enthusiasm of the students. It is therefore essential changing our old-fashion way of teaching and leading their University educational period. The successful implementation of the European Higher Education Area may be useful to achieve a significant reduction in dropout data.

The aim of “Advanced Medicinal Chemistry” course (last year of Pharmacy Degree, University of Seville, Spain) is to train the students in “retrosynthetic” procedures that “constitute the basis of a general logic of synthetic planning which was developed and demonstrated in practice...” applied to commercially available drug synthesis. The students were then satisfactorily prepared to explore and design basic organic synthesis schemes, a talent that only can be learnt with instruction and practice.

An alternative approach to learn retrosynthetic analysis through problem solving and collaborative learning is presented. Thus, a commercially available drug is used to illustrate the potential of Problem Based Learning (PBL) methodologies. Herein, the authors propose an easy way of practicing some fundamentals of retrosynthetic procedure by PBL system, focus on Dapoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs (SSRI) as the target molecule used in the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE).

References:
1. Warren, S.; Wyatt, P. Organic Synthesis: The Disconnection Approach. 2nd Edition, 2008, Chichester (UK): John Wiley & Sons,
2. Nobel Lecture of E. J. Corey, 1990.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1990/corey-lecture.pdf [06-21-2010].
3. Uden, L.; Beaumont, C. (Eds.) Technology and Problem-Based Learning, 2006, London (UK): Information Science Publishing,
4. Clouston, T.; Westcott, L.; Whitcombe, S.; Riley, J.; Matheson, R. (Eds.) Problem-Based Learning in Health and Social Care, 2010, Chichester, UK, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
5. Blumenfeld, P.C.; Soloway, E.; Marx, R.W.; Krajcik, J.S.; Guzdial, M.; Palincsar, A. Motivating Project-Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the learning, In Fogarty R. (Ed) Problem Based Learning. A Collection of Articles, 1998, California, USA, Corwin Press.

Keywords:

Dapoxetine, PBL, retrosynthesis, new learning methodologies.