M E M O R A N D U M

TO: Craig Parks, Chair of Academic Affairs Committee

FROM: Lisa Devine, Assistant Registrar

DATE: October 12, 2102

SUBJECT: Proposal for a New Grade and Grading Model for College of Pharmacy

At the meeting on October 11, 2012, the Catalog Sub Committee reviewed and approved the proposal from the College of Pharmacy for a new grade of “H” to form a new grading model of “‘Honors/Satisfactory/Fail” or “H/S/F” for the College of Pharmacy.

Supporting documentation will be sent electronically to the secretary of AAC via email.

Rationale:

1.  A grading system that employs three levels of grades reduces the preoccupation of students with the grading system itself. Some students are very concerned with half points, pluses and minuses and appear to be motivated by attaining a letter grade as opposed to being motivated to master the concepts. Transition to a grading system that incorporates the “Honors/Satisfactory/Fail” regimen should place the emphasis back on learning.

2.  Moving to this system of grading supports outcomes based curriculum delivery. Assuring that future pharmacy practitioners are competent is central to our mission.

a.  The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) states, within Standard 11, that Colleges of Pharmacy will ”enabl[e] students to transition from dependent to self-directed, lifelong learners.” (p.20)

i.  What is self-directed learning? “In its broadest meaning, ’self-directed learning’ describes a process by which individuals take the initiative, with our without the assistance of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identify human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes. (M. Knowles, Principles of Androgogy, 1972)“ {http://www.selfdirectedlearning.org/sdl-definition-rationale-background-2, accessed 9/23/2012}

ii.  Hence the COP needs to produce self-directed learners. From the literature we know self-directed learners need to be:

1.  Motivated

2.  Self-assessing

3.  Have clear standards-based competency measures

iii.  COP pedagogy needs to encompass all three of the above. This is best done via P/F, or in this case an H/S/F (per achievement goal theory).

iv.  We are currently working on an assessment plan which will compare current graded students to the future H/S/F students relative to motivation, self-assessment, longitudinal competency measures (ACPE Appendix D is an example) and the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA), a standardized knowledge test.

3.  Much of medical education uses this type of evaluation. Positive results such as reduced stress, improved mood, decreased test anxiety, and better group cohesion have been demonstrated in a study out of the Mayo Medical School.[i] Taking this approach to grading for a pharmacy school is an innovative move in line with progressive colleges of pharmacy, and follows the lead of our medical school colleagues.

Implementation:

1.  Fall 2013: The 4th year Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences which are currently graded as Satisfactory/Fail, will change to the Honors/Satisfactory/Fail grading model. This will be applied to all of the experiential courses which are numbered as Pharmacy 581, 582, 583, 584, 585, 586, and 587. This change allows for consistency in grading once the entire curriculum moves to the H/S/F grading system. Additionally, this grading structure is in line with how the experiential part of the curriculum is evaluated at many pharmacy schools across the country, including the University of Washington. Again, the rationale is to re-direct emphasis toward demonstration of learning and mastery of skills in the experiential setting versus preoccupation with grading.

2.  Fall 2013: All coursework for the first professional year of the pharmacy curriculum will be graded as Honors/Satisfactory/Fail. All classes labeled “Pharmacy” and “PharDSci” for First Year Fall (PY1 Fall) and First Year Spring (PY1 Spring) in the attached document will be graded H/S/F.

3.  Fall 2014: All coursework for the second professional year of the pharmacy curriculum will be graded as Honors/Satisfactory/Fail. All classes labeled “Pharmacy” and “PharDSci” for Second Year Fall (PY2 Fall) and Second Year Spring (PY2 Spring) in the attached document will be graded H/S/F.

4.  Fall 2015: All coursework for the third professional year of the pharmacy curriculum will be graded as Honors/Satisfactory/Fail. All classes labeled “Pharmacy” for Third Year Fall (PY3 Fall) and Third Year Spring (PY3 Spring) in the attached document will be graded H/S/F.

[i] Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The benefits of pass-fail grading on stress, mood, and group cohesion in medical students. November 2006;81(11): 1443-1448. www.mayoclinicproceedings.com.