RCPharm curriculum quality framework

The Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) curriculum quality framework defines the standards to be met by any RCPharm post-registration pharmacy curriculum including its programme of learning and programme of assessment.

Purpose
Why is the curriculum needed? Ensures curriculum is based on patient and population service needs and has four-country endorsement.
P1: Curriculum is based on patient, population and service needs. P2: Curriculum places the patient at the heart of its design. P3: Curriculum is endorsed by the four countries of the UK. P4: Curriculum is endorsed by all patient-facing pharmacy sectors. P5: Curriculum sets out high level goals including scope of practice and level of performance of those completing training. P6: The curriculum supports flexibility and transferability of learning to avoid duplication for learners.

Purpose

Why is the curriculum needed?

Ensures curriculum is based on patient and population service needs and has four-country endorsement.

P1: Curriculum is based on patient, population and service needs.

P2: Curriculum places the patient at the heart of its design.

P3: Curriculum is endorsed by the four countries of the UK.

P4: Curriculum is endorsed by all patient-facing pharmacy sectors.

P5: Curriculum sets out high level goals including scope of practice and level of performance of those completing training.

P6: The curriculum supports flexibility and transferability of learning to avoid duplication for learners.

Governance and quality assurance
What processes are in place to design and maintain the quality of the curriculum? Ensures the curriculum is developed and quality assured via robust and representative governance structures.
G1: Curriculum and learning outcomes are developed through clear and robust governance processes. G2: Curriculum development involves engagement with a wide group of relevant stakeholders, including: o Employers, service providers and organisations responsible for planning learning and development. o Patients, relevant patient groups, carers & lay people. o Education or training providers. o Learners, including pharmacists who share protected characteristics. o Clinical and education supervisors & those involved with quality assuring training provision. o Other professional bodies, including those working in relevant research and policy areas. o Educationalists with expertise in curricular/assessment design. G3: The curriculum is supported by a communication plan for learners, the public and potential training providers. G4: Curriculum integrates legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and/or Northern Ireland Act 1998 into curriculum documentation and curriculum design is based on principles of equality and diversity. G5: The curriculum can be designed, developed and delivered by feasible, practical and sustainable training programmes that can be implemented by different pharmacy training providers across the four nations and in different sectors. G6: Processes are in place to ensure the curriculum (including its assessments and learner performance in those assessment) are is regularly reviewed to ensure continued maintenance of the quality standards. G7: Processes are in place to periodically capture qualitative stakeholder feedback to inform improvements to the curriculum (and its assessments). G8: Processes are in place to periodically capture quantitative data to inform improvements to the curriculum (and its assessments). G9: Processes are in place to ensure the curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure it is contemporary and fit for purpose. Any redundant or out-of-date material is removed.

Governance and quality assurance

What processes are in place to design and maintain the quality of the curriculum?

Ensures the curriculum is developed and quality assured via robust and representative governance structures.

G1: Curriculum and learning outcomes are developed through clear and robust governance processes.

G2: Curriculum development involves engagement with a wide group of relevant stakeholders, including:

o Employers, service providers and organisations responsible for planning learning and development.
o Patients, relevant patient groups, carers & lay people.
o Education or training providers.
o Learners, including pharmacists who share protected characteristics.
o Clinical and education supervisors & those involved with quality assuring training provision.
o Other professional bodies, including those working in relevant research and policy areas.
o Educationalists with expertise in curricular/assessment design.

G3: The curriculum is supported by a communication plan for learners, the public and potential training providers.

G4: Curriculum integrates legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and/or Northern Ireland Act 1998 into curriculum documentation and curriculum design is based on principles of equality and diversity.

G5: The curriculum can be designed, developed and delivered by feasible, practical and sustainable training programmes that can be implemented by different pharmacy training providers across the four nations and in different sectors.

G6: Processes are in place to ensure the curriculum (including its assessments and learner performance in those assessment) are is regularly reviewed to ensure continued maintenance of the quality standards.

G7: Processes are in place to periodically capture qualitative stakeholder feedback to inform improvements to the curriculum (and its assessments).

G8: Processes are in place to periodically capture quantitative data to inform improvements to the curriculum (and its assessments).

G9: Processes are in place to ensure the curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure it is contemporary and fit for purpose. Any redundant or out-of-date material is removed.

Programme of learning / Curriculum outcomes framework
What does a pharmacist need to experience and achieve to progress or complete their training? Curriculum describes the expected learning outcomes, competencies, expected levels and breadth of experience learners must demonstrate to progress or complete their training.
L1: The curriculum describes the expected learning outcomes, capabilities/competencies, expected levels and breadth of experience and performance levels learners must demonstrate to progress through critical points and/or complete their training. L2: The programme of learning/curriculum outcomes framework is clearly linked back to the curriculum purpose. L3: The curriculum includes guidance for training providers on the appropriate educational methods and approaches, breadth of experience and learning opportunities necessary to ensure safe training and to meet the learning outcomes. L4: The curriculum describes the supervision support required by learners undertaking the programme, as well as the roles and responsibilities of supervisors. L5: The curriculum is specific enough to avoid ambiguity but flexible enough to be applied to different areas of practice and geographies. L6: The curriculum articulates the minimum standard needed for learners to demonstrate the learning outcomes but also articulates levels of proficiency and/or excellence.

Programme of learning / Curriculum outcomes framework

What does a pharmacist need to experience and achieve to progress or complete their training?

Curriculum describes the expected learning outcomes, competencies, expected levels and breadth of experience learners must demonstrate to progress or complete their training.

L1: The curriculum describes the expected learning outcomes, capabilities/competencies, expected levels and breadth of experience and performance levels learners must demonstrate to progress through critical points and/or complete their training.

L2: The programme of learning/curriculum outcomes framework is clearly linked back to the curriculum purpose.

L3: The curriculum includes guidance for training providers on the appropriate educational methods and approaches, breadth of experience and learning opportunities necessary to ensure safe training and to meet the learning outcomes.

L4: The curriculum describes the supervision support required by learners undertaking the programme, as well as the roles and responsibilities of supervisors.

L5: The curriculum is specific enough to avoid ambiguity but flexible enough to be applied to different areas of practice and geographies.

L6: The curriculum articulates the minimum standard needed for learners to demonstrate the learning outcomes but also articulates levels of proficiency and/or excellence.

Programme of assessment
How will we ensure a pharmacist in training has met the learning outcomes defined in the programme of learning? The programme of assessment subsumes all activity aimed at judging a learner’s attainment of curriculum outcomes, whether for summative (determining satisfactory progression in or completion of training), or formative (developmental) purposes.
Validity A1: The purpose of the assessment programme and the rationale of its individual constituents are defined and linked explicitly back to the curriculum purpose. A2: The programme of assessments, the individual items within it and the content and format are exclusively derived from and explicitly mapped & blueprinted against the content of the curriculum. A3: The programme of assessment has positive educational impact and the assessment burden is proportionate. A4: The programme of assessment discriminates effectively between key levels of performance and includes critical progression points, including completion of training. A5: Potential assessment programme models (or significant modifications to assessments) are piloted and evaluated prior to roll out. A6: Appropriate and evidence-based standard setting methodologies are used for each summative assessment element of the programme of assessment. A7: The programme of assessment includes processes for benchmarking and calibrating assessors. A8: Learner and item performance are evaluated to ensure the assessment programme remains valid. Fairness A9: Robust operational processes and quality control measures around assessment delivery are in place to ensure a consistent assessment delivery experience for all learners. Reliability A10: Psychometric analysis of learner and assessment performance is used to periodically evaluate summative assessment performance, including reliability measures. Multi-faceted assessment A11: The programme of assessments should combine summative and formative assessments and utilise a range of assessment tools. A12: Summative assessments should: o Act as a gateway to sequence progression between critical points in the programme. o Demonstrate that the learner has acquired (and maintained) knowledge and skills as required by the approved curriculum. o Give information on a learner’s ability to practice safely within a defined area or aspects of it with progressive levels of supervision and accountability. o Synthesise outputs of different assessments to inform integrated judgments. o Identify learners who do not demonstrate expected levels of performance. A13: Formative assessments should generate feedback, prompt learners to reflect on their own performance and development needs, result in learners taking action and providing evidence of this action. Transparency A14: Learner guidance, including information on the processes to appeal and apply for reasonable adjustments, is publicly available. A15: Learners receive meaningful and timely feedback on their performance in both formative and summative assessment. A16: Processes are shared on how learners who have not met the required learning outcomes at critical progression points are managed. A17: Anonymised assessment outcome data are shared publicly. A18: Assessor guidance, training, quality monitoring, and feedback processes are in place. Inclusivity A19: Equality and diversity data related to assessment performance is collated and analysed. A20: Pharmacists from across the four nations working in any patient-facing role are able to meet the learning.

Programme of assessment

How will we ensure a pharmacist in training has met the learning outcomes defined in the programme of learning?

The programme of assessment subsumes all activity aimed at judging a learner’s attainment of curriculum outcomes, whether for summative (determining satisfactory progression in or completion of training), or formative (developmental) purposes.

Validity

A1: The purpose of the assessment programme and the rationale of its individual constituents are defined and linked explicitly back to the curriculum purpose.

A2: The programme of assessments, the individual items within it and the content and format are exclusively derived from and explicitly mapped & blueprinted against the content of the curriculum.

A3: The programme of assessment has positive educational impact and the assessment burden is proportionate.

A4: The programme of assessment discriminates effectively between key levels of performance and includes critical progression points, including completion of training.

A5: Potential assessment programme models (or significant modifications to assessments) are piloted and evaluated prior to roll out.

A6: Appropriate and evidence-based standard setting methodologies are used for each summative assessment element of the programme of assessment.

A7: The programme of assessment includes processes for benchmarking and calibrating assessors.

A8: Learner and item performance are evaluated to ensure the assessment programme remains valid.

Fairness

A9: Robust operational processes and quality control measures around assessment delivery are in place to ensure a consistent assessment delivery experience for all learners.

Reliability

A10: Psychometric analysis of learner and assessment performance is used to periodically evaluate summative assessment performance, including reliability measures.

Multi-faceted assessment

A11: The programme of assessments should combine summative and formative assessments and utilise a range of assessment tools.

A12: Summative assessments should:

o Act as a gateway to sequence progression between critical points in the programme.
o Demonstrate that the learner has acquired (and maintained) knowledge and skills as required by the approved curriculum.
o Give information on a learner’s ability to practice safely within a defined area or aspects of it with progressive levels of supervision and accountability.
o Synthesise outputs of different assessments to inform integrated judgments.
o Identify learners who do not demonstrate expected levels of performance.

A13: Formative assessments should generate feedback, prompt learners to reflect on their own performance and development needs, result in learners taking action and providing evidence of this action.

Transparency

A14: Learner guidance, including information on the processes to appeal and apply for reasonable adjustments, is publicly available.

A15: Learners receive meaningful and timely feedback on their performance in both formative and summative assessment.

A16: Processes are shared on how learners who have not met the required learning outcomes at critical progression points are managed.

A17: Anonymised assessment outcome data are shared publicly.

A18: Assessor guidance, training, quality monitoring, and feedback processes are in place.

Inclusivity

A19: Equality and diversity data related to assessment performance is collated and analysed.

A20: Pharmacists from across the four nations working in any patient-facing role are able to meet the learning.