The school of pharmacy at the Queen's University of Belfast has been given the maximum score of 24 for the quality of its pharmacy teaching. According to the school, a Quality Assurance Agency panel of subject review experts rated as excellent the school's teaching quality for its MPharm degree and its distance learning programmes in clinical and community pharmacy.
Particular strengths identified by the panel included an innovative curriculum design process, the variety of teaching methods and the incorporation of skills training in the curriculum.
Professor James McElnay (head of the pharmacy school) told The Journal on February 28 that the panel had also noted the caring pastoral nature of the school, its quality management procedures and its entrepreneurial attitude to the provision of resources for students.
Professor McElnay added that the school was in a period of rapid expansion in both its teaching and research divisions and that a number of new developments would be announced soon.
A spokeswoman for the Quality Assurance Agency said that reports on teaching quality at eight of Britain's 16 pharmacy schools had been published with their scores from the current assessment round (see panel). She explained that six aspects of teaching were assessed and given scores of up to four each. The QAA did not total the scores or use words, such as excellent, to describe assessments. It did not approve of the assessments being used in that way.
"Universities tend to total up their scores and then complain when they get used to create league tables," she said.

Teaching assessments for pharmacy

Six aspects of teaching quality at higher education institutions are assessed by the higher education Quality Assurance Agency. The results that have been published for schools of pharmacy in the most recent round of assessments are given below. The six qualities are: A - curriculum design, content and organisation; B - teaching, learning and assessment; C - student progression and achievement; D - student support and guidance; E - learning resources; F— quality management and enhancement.

The QAA considers grade 2 or better to indicate an approved quality of teaching. The meaning of the scores is as follows: 1 - The aims and/or objectives set by the subject provider are not met; there are major shortcomings that must be rectified. 2 - This aspect makes an acceptable contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives, but significant improvement could be made. The aims set by the subject provider are broadly met. 3 - This aspect makes a substantial contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives; however, there is scope for improvement. The aims set by the subject provider are substantially met. 4 - This aspect makes a full contribution to the attainment of the stated objectives. The aims set by the subject provider are met.