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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20534/EJLL-17-1-6-10
Reva Tetyana Dmytrivna, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Bogomolets National Medical University, PhD (Candidate of Chemical Sciences), Associate Professor,
Kyiv, Ukraine.
E-mail: tetyana-reva-nmu@ukr.net
The programme of the elective course "the competency-based approach in pharmaceutical education as a subject of pedagogical design"
Abstract: The article consolidates best practices in designing the content of the academic discipline (elective course) "Challenges and Issues of Modern Pharmaceutical Education" in the settings of implementation of the Bologna process concepts into the higher medical educational establishments in Ukraine. There has been proved the feasibility of the algorithm of pedagogical design and revealed the scientific and methodical approach to developing contextual, operational, final-assessment program components of the above mentioned academic discipline.
Keywords: Bologna process, pedagogical design, the programme of the elective course, pharmaceutical education.
Introduction. Contemporary higher pharmaceutical education (HPE) in Ukraine is characterised by dynamic development along with orientation to ensure high quality and effectiveness of the pharmacotherapy and disease prevention of the population. Considering this, there has increasingly been the need for raising awareness of the students, obtaining their degrees in "Pharmacy" at higher medial educational institutions (medical schools) in Ukraine, with the current challenges facing modern HPE of Ukraine in order to develop in the students an appropriate level of readiness to meet those challenges.
The above referred to problem of the vocational training of the specialists in pharmacy at medical universities in Ukraine is currently being largely mediated by the real political and socio-economic processes, including the integration of Ukraine into the world community, the reform process in the medical sector of the country, the need to use the resources of the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector of the healthcare system to provide the country's population with medicines (drugs) for accessible and effective treatment and prevention of diseases occurred to the population.
Materials and Methods. In a pedagogical science there are being studied various aspects ofpharmaceutical education: M. Alyushyn examines the HPE areas for the reform; V. Chernykh, I. Zupanets, Z. Mnushko V. Slip-chuk study the issues of vocational training of the students for the pharmaceutical industry; Y. Tsekhmister, I. Bulakh, M. Syatynya elucidate the specifics of accounting and economic fundamentals in pharmacy. The sci-
entific works of V. Bobrytska, Y. Tatura on pedagogical design of academic disciplines in higher education institutions are theoretically important for our study [1; 2; 9].
The author studies pressing issues in higher pharmaceutical education in Ukraine (T. Reva) [6; 7]. However, the analysis of information sources shows that the theoretical analysis and practice of designing elective courses in Pharmacy at medical HPE are not yet the subject of thorough analysis for scholars and practitioners to be performed by.
In this article there applied the methods of theoretical analysis and synthesis for consolidation best practices of pedagogical design of educational content for the elective course "Challenges and Issues of Modern Pharmaceutical Education" in the settings of implementing the Bologna process in the National Medical University named after O. O. Bohomolets (O. O. Bogomolets NMU); methods of modelling of pedagogical design to reveal feasibility for the algorithm of development and justification of the contextual, operational, final-assessment components of the Course Program being studied.
The article aims to consolidate best practices in developing the Programme of an elective course "Challenges and Issues of Modern Pharmaceutical Education" (hereinafter — the Programme of the course) as an object of pedagogical design.
The objectives of this investigation have been specified as follows: 1) to consolidate best practices in developing the content of the elective course "Challenges and Issues of Modern Pharmaceutical Education" in the settings of implementation of the Bologna process
concepts into medical HEE; 2) to prove feasibility of the algorithm of the Course Programme pedagogical design; 3) to typify the scientific and methodical approach to developing contextual, operational, final-assessment components for the Course Programme.
Results. To meet the purpose of the study we are to establish our viewpoint on understanding technology of pedagogical design. The scientific standpoint of the author is based on inferences of scholars who proved the feasibility of the algorithm for the vocational training of the specialists in pharmacy in modern medical universities in Ukraine and it is largely determined by the desire to integrate Ukraine into a common European area of higher education. An indicator of this process is the introduction of European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) in the educational process of modern HEEs. Currently the ECTS helps in the development, specification and implementation of educational programs, makes it possible to integrate the various educational activities.
It is applied to all educational programs, regardless the delivery mode (either classroom or distance learning, or on-job training) or a form of study (full-time, parttime), and to all types of learning (formal, informal, nonformal) [3, c. 5]. In the vocational training process of a future professional in the pharmaceutical sector the benefits of implementing ECTS are in the establishment of the principles of transparency in learning, teaching and assessment.
In this manner, the use of ECTS concepts in the design of the Course Programme for the 2nd year students of pharmaceutical faculty for O. O. Bohomolets NMU made it possible to design the content of the course, workshops scheduling, a didactic set of information support of the academic discipline, assignments for thematic and modular assessment of educational outcomes of students as well as to develop clear criteria and indicators of results for self-study work of the students (SSWS).
It is worth pointing out that 2 ECTS credits (60 hours, including 66% of classroom workload and 34% of self-study work of students) were allocated to the study of the above-referred-to elective course. An important point that the Programme the elective course "Challenges and Issues of Modern Pharmaceutical Education" was aproved at the board meeting of the Chief Methodical Commission for the pharmaceutical faculty at O. O. Bohomolets NMU, minutes of the meeting № 5 of 5 May 2016 [5]. Piloting of the Course is to be in the course of 2016-2017 academic year.
Having considered the chosen algorithm of the pedagogical design of the Course Program, the methodological
stage supposed specifying the principles, structuring the object, establishing the goals.
Therefore, the defining principles were chosen the ones as follows: 1) consistency; 2) self-development; 3) transparency in the processes of learning, teaching and assessment. The development of the Course Programme structure meant to take into account the requirements of ECTS to the educational process in the medical HEE.
The following structural elements are included to this document:
1) explanatory note (description of the subject of the study course; overview of the cross-curricular connections; the purpose and objectives of the course; description of competencies with regard to the defined level of the National Qualifications Framework of Ukraine (NQF of Ukraine) [4]; 2) structured topic-based plan; 3) topics of practice-aimed classes; 4) topics of assignments for the self-study work; 5) teaching methods; 6) forms of assessment of educational achievements of the students; 7) suggested reading (basic and additional). Making the future specialists-pharmaceutists aware of up-to-date information on the development of modern HPE in Ukraine was determined as the purpose of delivery the elective course entitled "Challenges and Issues of Modern Pharmaceutical Education".
The further outlined has become the objectives of the elective course: 1) to reveal the pressing tasks of the development of HPE at the current stage of development of the country in the settings of European integration; 2) to analyze the current regulatory background for HPE, its compliance with international, particularly European legislation; 3) get aware of "standards of higher education in Ukraine". Branch knowledge 22. Healthcare system. Specialty 226 "Pharmacy", (2016)" (further — Standard, 2016) [8], learn to identify the level ofmodern requirements for the specialist-pharmaceutist (evaluation and self-evaluation); 4) to offer suggestions for improving the Code of Ethics of the pharmaceutical industry experts with regard to the standpoint of requirements to the current HPE and considering the new policy of its development. Implementation of the organisational and contextual stage of pedagogical design of the Course Programme supposed the development of mechanisms, the choice of the tools of implementation the idea, piloting the prototype of the created construct in terms of a real educational process.
Given this, the Course Programme was concluded with regard to the educational and professional characteristics (EPC) and educational and professional program (EPP) of the (Standard, 2016) [8]. It was
determined that the course is to consist of one module, which will include 10 topics.
The types classes under to the curriculum were chosen as follows: 1) practice-aimed classes; 2) self-study work of the students (SSWS); 3) progress and final assessment.
When designing the the study process of the academic discipline there was considered primarily the number of study hours (2 credits being equal to 60 hours in accordance with ECTS) to be dedicated to obtaining it, out of which 40 hours are to be seminars, 20 are SSWS. According to the Programme of the Course, practice-aimed sessions are to involve formation of students' knowledge and skills regarding: 1) getting aware of national and international discourse of the development of HEE; 2) analysis of priorities of national HPE development in the context of the main trends of modern development of the sphere (national and international dimension);
3) giving analytical insight into the standards, rules and norms which are applied to the system of implementing public policy of Ukraine on development of domestic pharmaceutical production of medicines and medical equipment in order to overcome import dependentness of the domestic pharmaceutical market; 4) analysis of the strategy of Ukraine's state policy on the development of the pharmaceutical industry;
5) anticipating scientifically based approaches to reforming the national of HPE, meeting high standards of pharmacy, which are based on a high-quality customer service, an increase of social responsibility to the community for providing healthcare services, following the ethics of a pharmacuetist in marketing activities and communicative interaction with people seeking advice of a specialist-pharmaceutist.
While testing the prototype of the created educational construct (for the Course Programme) in the conditions of a real educational process in medical HEE we have specified three components: contextual, operational, and final assessment ones. We are to reveal scientific and methodical approach to their development. Throughout the development of the contextual component of the Programme of the course there were outlined a set of pressing problems that need solving in the process of the occupational activity of future specialists of pharmacy sphere, namely:
1. Pressing tasks of the development of the State Pharmacopoeia of Ukraine at the present stage of development of the domestic HPE.
2. The current regulatory support for the pharmaceutical sector of the Healthcare system of Ukraine.
3. Pressing tasks arisen from the state standardisation process of the production of medicines in Ukraine, its compliance with international standards.
4. The development of the domestic competitive environment in the production of medicines as a priority direction in the development of pharmaceutical industry of Ukraine (overcoming the problems related to import dependentness).
5. Ajusting Ethical Code ofprofessionals in the pharmaceutical industry having taken into account a new policy of the development of the latter.
We presented operational component of the pedagogical design of the Course Programme as a combination of different forms and methods of educational process: practice-aimed classes, workshops, SSWS, assessment tools. Therefore, when workshops, we have provided for the use of different methods and types of learning activities for students to be involved into: academic discussions, presentations of creative projects, presentation of the essays and many more. The wide use of technical aids, use of the Internet, work with electronic databases, the use of television, video, audio and other resources while studying the elective course "Challenges and Issues of Modern Pharmaceutical Education" is supposed to encourage students' cognitive activity, help maximize time savings for learning a significant amount of educational material, encourage creativity, develop professional competencies of future pharmaceutists.
Pedagogical design of the appropriate teaching methods made it possible to specify the following ones:
I. Methods of organisation and performing of educational and cognitive activity
1) By source of information: Verbal ones (information blocks of the thematic blocks of the course with the use of computer information technology (PowerPoint-based ones — Presentation), information and communication technologies (e-learning, practical-purpose explanations, stories, spoken interactions, conversations); Visual ones (observation, illustration, demonstration); Practical application ones (exercises, solving situational problems (cases)).
2) By logic of delivery and perception of educational information: inductive, deductive, analytical, synthetic ones.
3) By degree of independence ofthought: reproductive, retrieval, research-aimed ones.
4) By degree of supervision of learning activity performance: under the supervision of the teacher (tutor or lecture); self-study work of students: through reading the books; writing research papers, essays.
II. Methods of stimulating both interest in learning and motivation educational and cognitive activity:
1) Methods of stimulating interest in education: educational discussions; creating a situation of cognitive novelty; creating situations for raising interest (method of interesting analogies, etc.). The expected outcome of implementation of the final assessment component of pedagogical design of the above Programme supposes that students of specialty 226 "Pharmacy" are to acquire competencies set which corresponds to the sixth qualification level of NFQs of Ukraine.
Under this level, it is expected that the future specialists-pharmaceutists will form the ability to resolve tasks and problems while learning which is manifested in obtaining: 1) occupational knowledge that serves as the basis for the formation of professional thinking of a specialist;
2) skills to resolve challenging tasks and issues of the professional origin that needs updating and integration of knowledge, particularly in the healthcare sector; 3) communication skills which supposes clear and unambiguous delivery of their implications along with knowledge and explanation in the process of exchanging academic and professional information, coordinating affords and joint activity; 4) the ability to independently perform tasks, resolve occupational tasks and problems and be responsible for their activities (autonomy and responsibility) in difficult and unpredictable circumstances that require application new approaches and projecting outcomes for future professional activity. The acquisition of the information component of the topic (progress monitoring) in relation to the design of the Course Programme should be carried out at practice-aimed classes for specific purposes, and assessment of acquired skills and competencies (final assessment) should be done in the final lesson through the use of tests and solving situational problems. It is important to point out that assessment of how the student has succeeded in the elective course is a rating-based one and is performed through the grade-based scale with grades in some certain subjects to have been taken into consideration. For the students who show the desire to improve their performance in the course, upon completion ofstudy this subject, the curriculum stipulates the deadline and terms for retaking it.
To finish proving feasibility of a scientific and methodical approach to developing the contextual component of the Course Programme, we note that the use of modular organisation makes it self-sufficient and, at the same time, provides a logical transition in understanding each subsequent course topic by the students. In this context, a module as an information unit is defined as a systemic
entity that provides completion to the whole course, creates a logical link between the content of its topics.
Conclusion
1. Consolidation of experience in pedagogical design of the Programme of the elective course "Challenges and Issues of Modern Pharmaceutical Education" in the settings of implementation of the Bologna process concepts has revealed that in the vocational training of the students majoring "Pharmacy", speciality reference number 226, it is important to apply a complex of information support of the academic discipline which is reflected in the improvement of the content of the practice-aimed lessons and in creating quality tests for thematic and modular evaluation of educational achievements of students, selection of tests and valid situation tasks for the final assessment, the development of clear criteria and indicators of assessment of performance the tasks for SSWS.
2. Pedagogical design of the Course Programme is advisable to carry out with regard to three interconnected stages: 1) analytical one (forming the base of output data, analysis of resource supply, etc.); 2) methodological one (development of the methodological platform, specifying the design principles, structuring the object composition of purposes); 3) organisational and contextual one (development of institutional mechanisms, selection of the tools to implement the idea, testing the prototype of the created construct in the conditions of a real education process).
3. When proving feasibility of a scientific and methodical approach to designing the Programme of the elective course "Challenges and Issues of Modern Pharmaceutical Education" it was decided to develop its contextual, operational and final assessment components. In the view of the above, when designing the contextual component of the course, it was specified its goals and objectives, the content topics of the course having taken into account the educational module. While designing the operational component of the course there was considered the combination of different forms of educational process: practice-aimed classes, workshops, self-study activities, assessment tools. The formal expression of realisation of the final-assessment component of designing the course programme under investigation was the design of ECTS-based assessment system of students' educational achievements having led to selection of the following assessment methods of academic achievements of students: ongoing written assessment (modular knowledge assessment), frontal and individual interviewing, self-assessment and final assessment done in the final lesson through the use of tests, solving situational problems.
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