As part of the “Students’ Voice” project, ANQA hosted another training session for student experts, bringing together students in medicine and pharmacy.
During the training, participants completed practical exercises, exploring how accreditation can be used to examine the alignment between the academic programmes’ (AP) intended competences and those actually acquired by students. Reference was made to the development and assessment of professional and practical competences, as well as the formulation of questions that enable student experts to evaluate these aspects based on students' learning experiences.
During the discussions, the student experts considered what questions could be asked to determine how practical training is organised, what types of tasks students undertake, how closely these reflect real professional practice and how students' preparedness is assessed.
The practical component included a roleplay of an accreditation site visit conducted with the participation of accreditation process coordinators. The students assumed the roles of expert panel members, while ANQA's specialists acted as students of simulated HEIs.
During the roleplay, the student experts conducted a simulated expert panel meeting, formulated follow-up questions based on the responses and identified the information most relevant to the AP evaluation. The exercise enabled them to practise sequencing questions, apply active listening techniques, and move from general responses to the identification of specific evidence.
At the end of the session, the participants discussed with the accreditation process coordinators the challenges related to the development of practical competences in HEIs' academic APs medicine and pharmacy. The discussion highlighted the alignment between employers' expectations and the AP intended learning outcomes, the organisation and assessment of internships and the extent to which the student tasks support the development of the intended professional competences.
The participants also explored what questions and evidence can be used during the external review to evaluate the extent to which students achieve the AP intended learning outcomes and are prepared for professional practice.