Student assessment of postgraduate clinical pharmacy programmes in the United Kingdom (1): validation of the course experience questionnaire

Abstract

Abstract Background Confirming the validity of the previously published course experience questionnaire (CEQ), a tool in general use in higher education, will enable its specific use in the evaluation of postgraduate clinical pharmacy programmes. The postgraduate clinical pharmacy programmes of interest may have unique aspects to them which may affect validity of the CEQ, for example, the dual emphasis on learning experience through both a formal class environment and workplace practice activities. Objective To validate the course experience questionnaire (CEQ), a tool used for student evaluation of higher education provision. Method A UK postal survey, using the CEQ, of graduates from clinical pharmacy postgraduate programmes. Cases were subject to exploratory factor analysis and compared with previous, non-pharmacy samples. Setting Graduates from 11 different postgraduate clinical pharmacy programmes in the UK since 1990 were surveyed. A total of 511 questionnaires were distributed and 364 (72 per cent) were returned. Key findings Factor analysis showed that the sample exhibited similar key constructs to other higher education samples. An important finding was a split in the “good teaching” construct in this postgraduate sample. This split reflects the type of teaching delivery common in postgraduate clinical pharmacy programmes. Conclusions The validation of this important evaluation tool for use in higher education means that comparisons can now be made between institutions and programmes, providing evidence for the quality of provision of these programmes from the student's perspective.