April 11, 2013, by Teaching at Nottingham

Delivery and assessment of a coherent professional degree

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Dr Liz Mossop and Kate Cobb: “The Nottingham veterinary curriculum is integrated both vertically and horizontally. It is complex to deliver and alignment is crucial both in terms of student learning and accreditation processes. The school has therefore developed audit processes to ensure a coherent curriculum is delivered and that assessment aligns with the teaching strategy.

“A number of strategies are outlined in the presentation including an example focussing on the development of practical skills, a central component within the curriculum. The school aligns learning and assessment to ensure these skills are developed appropriately and built on over time, culminating in final year workplace assessments. The use of outcomes assessment is also described, including a survey of recent graduates which contributes to the audit process and ensures the curriculum is fit for purpose. The difficulties of balancing this type of information with the requirements of our regulatory body, as well as those of our institution, are also discussed.”

Dr Liz Mossop and Kate Cobb
School of Veterinary Medicine and Science

This presentation was given at the Curriculum Review conference: creating coherent programmes. It was part of a session addressing models of curriculum coherence where colleagues offered examples of the implementation of a range of approaches to coherence, and shared their experience of the process of curriculum design at programme level. The full programme is available on the Curriculum Review conference page.

The presentation was part of the “Assessment’s contribution to programme coherence” section where the sessions examined how assessment is, generally, tied to the modular structure and shared ways to use assessment to communicate the longer term aims that we have for student development throughout the whole programme of study.

Posted in Curriculum designLearning outcomes