Course Snapshot: A Simple Tool for Managing Annual Curricular Reviews

Abstract

ObjectiveCourse Snapshot Tool, a Qualtrics-based survey tool, addresses the needs of continuous quality improvement and curricular alignment for the PharmD program by conducting annual curricular reviews for all required courses. MethodsThe Qualtrics-based survey tool is administered every semester to course coordinators to summarize course outcomes and capture instructor impressions and feedback. The tool collects key elements related to ACPE standards, school-level strategic plan initiatives, and other areas of focus within the curriculum. Curricular alignment and improvement questions include information on course topics updates, topic overlap/reinforcement, content gaps, intentional removal of course content, teaching and learning methods, course strengths, student performance trends, course evaluation trends, and use of student feedback. Course Snapshot Tool is designed to be feasible by quickly collecting some information through checkboxes while allowing for thoughtful reflection on curricular alignment through open text responses. ResultsA review committee composed of Curriculum and Assessment Committee members examine survey results each semester and make recommendations. Stakeholders include course coordinators, Curriculum Committee, Assessment Committee, and division chairs. Summary findings are compiled into division-level and school-level reports where items are flagged for respective committees for action. The tool has a 95-100% response rate among course coordinators. A review cycle using Course Snapshot takes about 9.5hours to complete collectively, with no stakeholder group committing more than 2hours of time per semester. The high participation rate and efficiency of the tool allow the entire required PharmD curriculum to be reviewed annually. ConclusionsCourse Snapshot Tool provides an effective and efficient mechanism for annual continuous curricular review. It is flexible in design and can be easily adapted to meet the changing needs of the program and its stakeholders.