Survey of prior learning assessment practices in pharmacy education

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Spring 2001 by Fjortoft, Nancy F, Zgarrick, David P

Nontraditional Pharm.D (NTPD) program directors were surveyed to determine the use of prior learning assessment (PLA) in NTPD programs. Eighty-four percent of the respondents reported using PLA for one or more purposes, including the admissions process and the awarding of advanced standing for didactic and experiential courses. Transcript review, faculty-developed exams, and portfolios are the most commonly used methods of PLA in NTPD programs.

INTRODUCTION

Pharmacy education is witnessing a revolution in how and to whom it delivers its educational programs. Pharmacy practitioners, many of whom have decades of rich and diverse experience, are encouraging mechanisms by which they can obtain the skills and knowledge imbedded in the Doctor of Pharmacy degree while maintaining their full-time professional practice. Prior learning assessment (PLA) may be one of those mechanisms. PLA is the method by which adults receive academic credit for prior learning(1). Pharmacists, like most other adult learners, cannot afford the luxury of attending college on a full-time basis for advanced education.

Colleges and schools of pharmacy are responding to practitioner demands for advanced education by developing nontraditional PharmD programs(2). These programs enable baccalaureate-trained pharmacists to return to school on a part-time basis and obtain the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Many of these programs employ distance learning techniques and flexible course scheduling(2). Pharmacy educators are also respectful of the knowledge and skills that these practitioners bring to the academic setting. Adults learn throughout their entire lives, and they learn in a variety of contexts and situations. They may seek formal learning through classroom situations, seminars and conferences or through individual self-directed learning, such as reading. Experiential learning is one of the most powerful and common methods by which adults continue learning outside the academy. Experiential learning is when learners are immersed in reallife situations in professional settings, and reflect on the experience to develop and build new skills, attitudes, and ways of thinking(3). The key to experiential learning is reflection and change. Individuals may learn from experience, but it is not automatic. In order to learn from experience, the individual must be receptive to new ideas and practices. Wagemans and Dochy observe that some adults may have a difficult time in learning from experience because they cannot free themselves from previous routines and practices, and from the standards and values they have acquired earlier(4).

Adults returning to the academic setting come with motivation, drive and expectations. In addition, they are goal-driven and are often motivated by specific job-related objectives(5). The demands on their time are great. They do not have the time or the patience to attend traditional classes learning materials that they may already know, and in some cases, could teach. Practitioners are requesting advanced standing or academic credit for what they already know. Pharmacy educators, in response to practitioners' requests and recognizing the various methods and contexts of learning, are seeking methods and mechanisms by which practitioners are recognized for their knowledge and skills gained from their years of professional experience.

The concept of prior learning assessment has been pioneered and brought to educators' attention through extensive efforts on the part of the Council of Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). CAEL has set standards for good PLA practice and has worked individually with many schools and universities to develop policies, procedures, and practices to allow adult students to get credit for what they know(1).

There are several assumptions underlying the concept of prior learning assessment. One is that college credit is not awarded for life experience. College credit is awarded for life learning(l). Learning is commonly defined as knowledge gained, new competence in specific skills, or as changes in attitude or affect.

Another assumption is that prior learning assessment can be used in multiple ways. It can be used to determine prerequisite knowledge in order to determine readiness for admission to a program or a specific class. Alternatively it can be used to enable the student to receive advanced standing in either didactic or experiential courses (course requirements waived).

It is not clear how PLA is used in pharmacy education and if its uses are similar to other academic disciplines. Therefore, the objective of this study is to survey and describe the mechanisms and use of PLA in pharmacy education.

BACKGROUND

To provide context for prior learning assessment in pharmacy, a brief review of prior learning assessment practices in higher education in general is described. Recently CAEL surveyed each of the 3,694 accredited post-secondary institutions in the United States. The survey had a forty-seven percent response rate. CAEL collected data on the uses and methods of prior learning assessment. These methods include standardized examinations, departmental examinations (faculty developed examinations), American Council on Education recommendations on military education and training, and corporate training, portfolio assessment, interview, and competence demonstrations. The responses to the survey represented a wide range of types of institutions and geographic areas. By far, the majority of the institutions responding to the survey (86 percent) reported assessing prior learning through at least one of the methods outlined in the survey. This represents a substantial increase since the last comprehensive survey in the 1970s(6).