Pharmacy education

Overview

Research as a process of identifying solutions to problems is applied to the context of education in which problems of teaching and learning are explored.

Educational research is an attempt to make sense of the varying activities that help construct an individual’s learning. The educational group has a number of areas of interest:  

• Dr Andrzej Kostrzewski is an experienced quantitative and qualitative researcher. He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His research interests include: quality of education of postgraduate pharmacists, continuing professional development (CPD) and reflective practice.  His PhD investigated the influence of CPD portfolios on practice and self-development in pharmacists based within NHS hospital trusts.  
• Miss Laura Kravitz, Mrs Beti Wyn Evans and Miss Nina Walker are investigating the development and design of Objective Structured Clinical Pharmacy Examinations (OSCPE) in the MPharm programme.  For example: is there a correlation between academic background and performance in OSCPEs? Miss Kravitz is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Mrs Evans is an associate of the Higher Education Academy  
• Miss Nina Walker is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has an interest in student experience and enhancement.  
• Dr Suzanne Fergus is a senior lecturer in pharmaceutical chemistry and also works in the University of Hertfordshire's Learning and Teaching Institute. Suzanne is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and her research interests include the contextualisation of chemistry in science education.  This focuses on integrating science principles with pharmacy practice particularly in the first year of the MPharm. Other research includes novel assessment of chemistry skills and competencies.  
• Dr Russell Foulsham has a focus on the teaching of numeracy skills and how these are used in the MPharm.

What the group does

The group meets regularly to review current progress of pharmacy education.

Key projects

The achievements of different competencies in pharmacy practice require a number of different educational methods.  These methods should foster the development of a number of attributes. This research will involve an investigation into the value of different educational approaches, in pharmacy students’, using a mixed method longitudinal design, in various contexts.

The group has the expertise and interest in assessing pharmacy technicians’ career development and educational needs.

Key grant awards

Fergus, S. Higher Education Academy Development Project 'Development of Generic Graduate Skills addressing Problem Solving and Understanding of Fundamental Chemistry' 2011-2012 (£1,000).