Programs that Enhance Learning
This award recognises innovative and creative learning and teaching support programs and services that make an outstanding contribution to the quality of student learning and the quality of the student experience. The programs that receive this Award must have demonstrated their effectiveness through rigorous evaluation that will set future benchmarks for similar activities at Monash University.
2023 Parkville International and Exchange Students (PIES)
Team: Betty Exintaris*, Nilushi Karunaratne*, Suzanne Caliph, Alastair Thomas
In 2020, in response to the impact of COVID-19 on the university experience of international students, the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (FPPS) supported an initiative to develop and implement an inclusive faculty community environment through an academic-led, Parkville International and Exchange Student (PIES) Engagement Program. This pilot program focused on providing international student support through three key areas: 1) communication; 2) social and networking and; 3) well-being. The PIES program has successfully been run at the faculty since 2020, with a semester-long calendar of events being implemented at the beginning of each semester. Over the past 7 semesters, the PIES program has run over 60 events to more than 100 international students annually at FPPS. This initiative signifies Monash’s ‘call-to-action’ to intentionally work towards ensuring our faculty environments are supportive and welcoming to all students from diverse backgrounds.
2022 Clinical Educator Training Program
Team: Eugene Ong, Ben Emery, Carmen Abeyaratne, Steven Walker, Renee Dimond, Angelina Lim
Pharmacist education in the workplace is shifting towards competency-based education (CBE), extending to undergraduate and intern pharmacists. CBE relies on educators with an acceptable standard of clinical supervision skills that is conducive to a good learning environment for the student. Pharmacists often contribute to the development of learners without formal training in clinical supervision due to a shortage of pharmacy workforce relevant programs. The Intern Foundation Program (IFP) is a CBE component of the newly created Vertically Integrated Masters. The IFP is designed to recognise, support and enhance workplace learning through completion of a series of workplace-based assessments under the supervision of a workplace pharmacist (termed Clinical Educator). As part of the IFP, a Clinical Educator Training Program (CETP) was developed to assist pharmacists in their role as a clinical educator by exploring education and learning in clinical environments.
The CETP course consists of 3 modules: 1) Educational theory and a focus on learning, 2) Communication skills for supervisors, 3) Problem solving and evaluation
The CETP was developed by experts in clinical supervision, informed by the Best Practice Clinical Learning Environment Framework. The CETP has undergone several iterations based on stakeholder feedback. The course is delivered online over a 3-week period and consists of reading materials, asynchronous discussion boards with experienced consistent facilitators and self-reflection. Multiple courses are offered throughout the year and the course is accredited with the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC).
2021 Student Experiential Placements (StEPs)
Team: Simon Furletti, Kirstie Galbraith, Kelly Aurelio, Traci Lourey (and hundreds of clinical educators)
The team was acknowledged for developing and embedding early and enhanced experiential placements in the VIM, including introduction of an Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) framework with a longitudinal ePortfolio student record of achievement. The program enhances student capability in the work-integrated learning setting and provides accelerated student experiential development.
Since its inception in 2017, over 30 EPAs have been developed and implemented for over 1000 students in >250 placement locations across Victoria, being supervised and assessed by >870 individual preceptors. Through interviews with students and preceptors, feedback for the program has been overwhelmingly positive and has created a more capable student and early career workforce and more learning opportunities for students on placements. Demonstrating this increased capability, Monash StEPs students were able to meaningfully contribute to the COVID-19 healthcare response and vaccine rollout. The development strategy, outcomes of this program, and pandemic related adjustments have been shared through multiple national and international publications and conference presentations (Forrester et al AJPE 2021, Furletti et al Senior Care Pharmacist 2020, APC Colloquium 2021, FIP webinar 2021).
2020 Virtual Teaching Associate Training Program
Team: Betty Exintaris, Lorenna Reynolds, Harry Al-Wassiti, Nilushi Karunaratne, Steven Walker, Stefan Huth, Thao Vu, Zoe Ord
The team was acknowledged for the design and development of the Virtual Teaching Associate Training Program.
The Virtual Teaching Associate Training Program is a user-friendly, flexible, evidence-based, self-regulated instructional program with a focus on learner engagement to train and support the development of teaching associates to ensure a high standard of quality in student learning, student engagement and therefore, the overall student experience.
Since its inception in 2018, the Virtual Teaching Associate Training Program has been successfully utilised to train more than 120 teaching associates at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
2019 MyDispense
Team: Vivienne Mak, Tina Brock, Keith Sewell, Keenan Beaumont, Kaan Unugur, Marian Costelloe
The team was acknowledged for the development of MyDispense, an innovative online simulation for pharmacy students.
The simulation provides pharmacy students with a safe environment in which to build knowledge, improve cognitive proficiency and develop professional values and attitudes.
MyDispense is currently being used in 86 schools of pharmacy in 24 countries. To date 15,439 students have completed: 663,989 exercises globally. Four international MyDispense symposia have been held in Europe and Asia. The philosophy of sharing and collaboration that we value at Monash University has had huge benefits, not only for students, but also in the building of active educator communities who are working together to expand MyDispense and also create innovative content.
2016 Intern Foundation Program (IFP)
Team: Gina Arora, Kirstie Galbraith, Angelina Lim, Brigid McInerney, Michelle Vienet
Introduced in 2016, the Intern Foundation Program (IFP) is recognised for providing an innovative new pathway for pharmacy interns to essentially gain academic recognition for their workplace skills. The dedicated Monash staff and workplace Clinical Educators integrate academic theory into application in the workplace within a purposefully designed, competency-based curriculum. The Workplace Learning Plan enables practical learning and recognises progressive skills development that occurs on a daily basis in the workplace.
2015 The Science of Medicines MOOC
Team: Ian Larson, Kirstie Galbraith, Jenny McDowell, Daniel Malone, David Manallack, Keith Sewell, Elizabeth Yuriev
This multidisciplinary team developed a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) - The Science of Medicines - to develop, test and evaluate online learning techniques at a scale unavailable through faculty based teaching. The MOOC provided the team and faculty and opportunity to think about how we can contextualize our teaching of science, in a patient-centred way, to give learners a framework for understanding medicines. Over 15,000 students have enrolled in the MOOC, with the material prepared and techniques developed now being used extensively in graduate entry summer school and other courses.
2013 Monash University Intern Training Program (ITP)
Team: Kirstie Galbraith, Michelle Vienet, Laura Dean, Angela Calandra, Elizabeth Morabito, Janelle Penno, Johann Posso
The Monash University Intern Training Program (ITP) team were recognised for providing convincing evidence of the quality of the intern program, and the benefits to students, preceptors (pharmacists), teaching associates and the University.
The Monash ITP is an accredited pathway to registration as a pharmacist in Australia. The program is competency driven and fully aligned with entry level competencies adopted by the profession. Pharmacy interns spend a year in supervised practice while undertaking an Intern Training Program. The Monash ITP links closely to workplace learning and is aligned with Pharmacy Board of Australia endorsed Intern Training Plans which are in common use in the workplace. The ITP utilizes a variety of learning and teaching approaches. Interns are required to undertake a combination of online discussions, face-to-face seminars and workshops, compilation of a learning portfolio, and online quizzes and exams. The ITP is nested within a Graduate Certificate which articulates to a Masters degree. Significant evaluation of the program has resulted in ongoing improvements since its inception in 2004, resulting in a high quality program which is held in high regard by interns, pharmacists, and the Australian Pharmacy Council.
2010 Pharmville
Team: Assoc Prof Jennifer Marriott, Marian Costelloe, Jenny McDowell, Deborah Horne, Kim Styles
The Pharmville team were recognised for their innovative and creative approach in the design, creation and implementation of the web-based resource, Pharmville. Pharmville is a realistic, extended virtual community to provide context to teaching in all pharmacy disciplines adopted throughout the Bachelor of Pharmacy in Australia and Malaysia. The online resource includes photographs, video vignettes, and medical and social histories with which Pharmacy students engage throughout their studies. Representing the diversity of Australian suburbs, Pharmville creates a realistic context for science and professional concepts, and allows explicit linking of theory with its application to people and communities.
Pharmville's outstanding achievements were also recognised in 2013, receiving a National citation award from the Office and Learning and teaching (OLT).