Quality Enhancement Themes: the First Year Experience. Curriculum Design for the First Year

This report outlines the work and outcomes of a practice-focused development project 'Curriculum design for the first year'. The project was one of nine funded by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) under the First-Year Experience Enhancement Theme of the Scottish quality enhancement agenda. The stages of this curriculum design project included: completing a literature review; running staff workshops to gather and disseminate information; holding student focus groups to gather students, views and experiences of the curriculum; collecting case studies of interest to the sector; and reporting findings to the sector. Key findings from the literature are presented in this report. They include the need to adopt student-centred active learning strategies (Harvey, Drew and Smith, 2006; Oliver-Hoyo and Allen, 2005; Barefoot, 2002) and the importance of providing early formative feedback to students (Davidson and Young, 2005; Barefoot, 2002). Many suggestions for improving learning and teaching strategies have been adopted at module level, but could be implemented strategically across the breadth of a programme curriculum. Kift and Nelson (2005) supported this view and argued that it is equally important to support these principles with systemic university-wide change, including administrative and support programmes that are also integrated with the curriculum and student needs

The Stakeholder Experience of a large scale final year undergraduate social community research project

Objective: In 2014 The School of Pharmacy at the University of Nottingham needed to deliver individual research methods supervision by a small number of academic staff to a large number of final year students. There are limited opportunities for students to gain patient facing experience on this course. The learning initiative was designed to meet these needs. Design: Dissertation students were offered a unique opportunity to participate in a large scale community pharmacy research project. Eighty-two students collected standardised data from patients across 36 pharmacies in the Greater Nottingham area. Local data collection supervision was provided by the local community pharmacists at the data collection sites. Academic supervision was provided to students using a hub and spoke model with ‘hub’ supervision provided by two members of staff offering broad methodological support to the cohort. This was further supported by local supervisors providing individualised ‘spoke’ support to students. Students were able to examine and report on their local results. The data generated overall provides a mass dataset for further examination by academics. An independent evaluation of stakeholder experience was undertaken. Assessment: Students were assessed by a poster presentation and written report summarising one segment of local analysis. Conclusion: Academics saw the hub and spoke model of supervision as innovative and a positive and efficient use of their time. All participating stakeholders feel that students benefit from the timely development of their transferable skills for their professional career; skills cited as requirements for pharmacy education by the GPhC (2011)

Pharmacy Leadership and Management: A new high fidelity simulation to prepare students for their future practise

Objective: To design and deliver a synoptic experiential learning experience drawing on leadership and management skills coupled with clinical problem solving in a high fidelity simulation. Our vision is to produce world leading pharmacists by providing them with diverse opportunities to demonstrate and expand their knowledge, skills and behaviours and prepare them for the changing healthcare landscape of the future. Design: Pharmacy Leadership and Management (PLM) is based on the successful GIMMICS consortia blueprint. Development was informed by stakeholder events with local and national health commissioners, professionals, experts, patients and academic staff. Teams of six final-year students run their own primary care-based pharmacy business competing against four others over four blocks of three days through the year. Simulated patients and academics deliver approximately 180 acute scenarios over the module to each team, comprising face-to-face, telephone and email queries. Teams also have longer term challenges including development new services and tendering for contracts. The curriculum covers all areas of practice including communication with patients and professionals, business and people development, medicines supply, clinical practice, governance and patient safety and health promotion and public health. Assessment: Assessment uses a multi-format approach of OSCE for skills, reflective portfolio for longer term and attitudinal attributes and an online assessment for knowledge based elements. Conclusion: In this paper, we will present the development of this educational experience and describe our implementation and operationalisation of this highly complex module

Pharmacy Leadership and Management module: An evaluation of the student experience and its perceived usefulness for future employment

Background: Pharmacy Leadership and Management is a 12-day, final-year synoptic experiential learning simulation. Student teams of six run a primary care-based pharmacy business and are presented with approximately 180 scenarios and over 400 medicines-based exercises. This module is based on the successful model created by the GIMMICS consortia of universities. Aims: To evaluate the acceptability and perceived usefulness to students and their future employment. Method: An online 82-item questionnaire was sent to all 221 students on the module comprising open and closed questions about their module experiences. Two reminders were sent. Analysis consisted of frequency counts and percentages. Results: Sixty-five percent of students completed the survey (n=143). Ninety-two percent said the module challenged them (n=132/143). Eighty-nine percent said it made them more confident talking to patients (n=127/143); 84% reported that their team-working skills improved as the module progressed (n=110/131). Eighty nine percent of students stated that they thought the module consolidated their learning across the degree (n=117/131). Despite the nature of the module, over half felt that the business skills would not be useful to their future career (55%, n=71/131). Conclusion: This new module has assisted students to develop themselves by challenging them and assisting to consolidate their team-working skills. Despite the importance of understanding business and management, students still appear to lack appreciation of this topic, perhaps due to lack of practice exposure in the course. This is the first year the module has run and we will be following up with the now recent graduates to evaluate the module impact on the next stages of their career

Using performance and leadership mentors to support students during a simulated pharmacy business module

Objective: To design and deliver a synoptic experiential learning experience drawing on leadership and management skills coupled with clinical problem solving in a high fidelity simulation. To provide undergraduates with a mentor employed to support and coach groups and individuals to learn, practise and develop their leadership and team working skills. Design: Pharmacy Leadership and Management (PLM) is a module which provides an experiential learning simulation drawing on leadership and management skills coupled with clinical problem solving. Teams of six students run their own primary care based pharmacy business competing against each other, based on a successful model currently run by the GIMMICS consortia of universities across Europe. Working with the university graduate school, a job description and person specification was developed. Mentors were appointed, using a robust application and interview process. A bespoke leadership and management training programme was co-developed between the Pharmacy and Graduate schools. The mentors supported student-led group sessions, coaching them to reflect on performance, develop solutions and change initiatives. The performance mentors were able to monitor the progress of their clients and stimulate interventions to improve their performance. Assessment: Students are required to reflect on their team working and its development during the simulation via their reflective portfolios. Conclusion: In this paper, we will present the development of the mentors and the impact they had on student learning. Qualitative interviews are currently being conducted to determine the impact of the mentor role on recent graduates and their development as future leaders

Wearable simulations for ill-health conditions in construction

Occupational ill-health and wellbeing is a significant challenge for workers in the civil engineering and construction sectors. The symptoms of many ill-health conditions become more severe over time and minor aches and pains in a young worker can develop into serious problems the older they get. Health and safety training has increased in recent years and site inductions are now ubiquitous. However, formal training methods seem to have little effect. Evidence-based, wearable simulations for common construction ill-health conditions have been developed from over 20 years of universitybased research. The LUSKInS simulations provide experiential learning experience for dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome, musculoskeletal disorders, noise induced hearing loss and respiratory disorders and are being trialled with young apprentices aiming to change their attitudes and behaviours

Integrating the academic experience: An inter-disciplinary approach to the authentic marketing research experience

This paper describes the evolution of an innovative inter–disciplinary approach to teaching and learning in a University Faculty of Business. Further, it reviews the implementation of a series of unique, integrated and authentic assessments involving units based in the marketing, urban planning and business communication disciplines. The project has used the production of Revitalization Plans for the University‘s campuses as the basis for integrating student teaching and learning. It has championed an approach which moves away from the traditional ‗silo‘ methods of academic assessment to integrated, contextualised learning which develops both generic and discipline-specific skills such as client/consultation roles, business communications and knowledge in marketing, urban planning, and management. The paper concludes by reflecting on the issues involved with the introduction of the inter-disciplinary approach to teaching and learning with the University

Serious Games in Formal Education: Discussing Some Critical Aspects

International audienceInnovation in technology together with evolution in pedagogical approaches is encouraging increased integration of technology-supported interventions in mainstream teaching practices. One area attracting particularly close attention in this respect is Serious Games (SGs), which offer considerable potential for facilitating both formal and informal learning experiences in supported and standalone contexts. Advances in technology and in technology enhanced learning are raising learners' expectations for immersive and engaging game-based experiences. This trend is underpinned by the emergence of young learners adept at using digital technologies and the internet; there is an attendant risk that, as students, they may be alienated by traditional education and its failure to engage them fully in a lifelong learning process and prepare them adequately for the challenges of the 21st Century. SGs would appear to offer an attractive solution in this regard. However, there are a number of inhibitors preventing their wider take-up in mainstream education, with the result that the considerable potential on offer has yet to be fully exploited. This situation is the background for the joint efforts of partners in the Games and Learning Alliance (GALA), an EC-funded Network of Excellence on SGs, especially the sub-group dedicated to the pedagogical dimension of SGs. In its discussions on the key challenges for more wide-scale and effective SG use, the group has focused in particular on aspects related to the central role played by the educator in formal education settings. Specifically, discussion has focused on the challenges posed when educators are called on to modify their practice, adopting the new roles and approaches demanded for effective SG deployment. This paper presents the outcome of the group's exploration. It frames the question of the educator's central role by drawing on research work that, in the view of the different authors, embodies the major references for shedding light on this multi-faceted aspect. As well as the new role that the educator assumes in games-based learning environments, particular attention is also dedicated to the innovative pedagogical approaches that can be applied to SG deployment, especially those inspired by peer collaboration

Interprofessional Poverty Simulation Affects Student Attitudes Toward Poverty and Interprofessional Relationships

Purpose: Poverty simulations in health professions education involving multiple disciplines have been studied, but the impact of poverty simulations on interprofessional attitudes has been surprisingly neglected. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the Cost of Poverty Experience simulation on attitudes toward interprofessional communication, learning, and collaboration, while still positively impacting attitudes toward poverty. Methods: Poverty simulations were held annually at a private midwestern university involving students from multiple disciplines inside and outside healthcare. Debriefing questions related to professional roles and teamwork were used to promote discussions between students from different professions about caring for clients experiencing poverty. Data from the 2017-19 events are detailed in this article. Over the three years, 325 students participated in the study. The University of West England Interprofessional Questionnaire and the Attitudes Toward Poverty Short Form were administered pre-and post-intervention. Results: The University of West England Interprofessional Questionnaire showed a significant (ppConclusions: The interprofessional poverty simulation experience positively impacted attitudes toward interprofessional communication and relationships while still significantly improving attitudes toward poverty. This finding adds to the literature by demonstrating that interprofessional poverty simulations can positively impact attitudes toward interprofessional communication and relationships when debriefing questions guide discussions about interprofessional roles and teams in caring for those living in poverty