Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Update on the Cross Project Task Force on Course Quality

Claire Johnson

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Remit for Task Force "Course Quality"

Mission: Enable rational selection of educational courses from the universe of available courses by defining the quality criteria to be fulfilled

List quality criteria to be used to flag European courses for their suitability to serve as "Elective Courses" for E&T Programs

Define "Quality" for use as a criterion to identify suitable courses offered outside of IMI JU E&T 

List quality criteria to flag European courses for their suitability to serve as CPD courses

• Criteria incorporated into on-course• QA/QC processes (not content)

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Meet the senior discovery biologist…

My name is Jon. I’m a discovery biologist and I’ve been working in cardiovascular discovery for 15

years. My unit is under threat and I want to move into development.

My skills and experience are really relevant to predictive

toxicology and I don’t have time to do another qualification.

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

…and the mid-career research chemist

My name is Ida. I’m a formulation chemist and a member of the RSC; I need a crash course on ADMET. I don’t want to have to do it again if I move to another

company.

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

…and the early-stage researcher

My name is AnnaLisa. I have a degree in pharmacology. I’m

interested in a career in medicines research and haven’t yet decided

what area I want to focus on. I need a broad-ranging master’s course and I’d like to do the first part in London

while my husband finishes off his PhD; after that I don’t mind where I

go but I don’t want to repeat parts of my course if I move to another

university.

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Modules not currently recognised by a professional body but that meet IMI E&T

Shared Quality Standard

Modules recognised by professional bodies whose

quality standards align with IMI’s

The concept of a harmonised CPD portfolio

IMI E&T modules

Pharmatrain

SafeSciMet

Eu2P

IFAAP recognized CPD

IFAAP recognized CPD

EuroTox-recognized CPD

EuroTox-recognized CPD

Meets IMI E&T Shared Quality Standard

Meets IMI E&T Shared Quality Standard

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

CPTF Course Quality’s ultimate goal

Ooh – I can build a portfolio of CPD in my own time that really means something to my employer and others in

my industry!

Wow! I can build CPD credits with my professional

body and these mean something to others in

medicines research too!

Hey! I can start my master’s at KCL and then move to one of several

centres of excellence all over Europe to complete my degree – without

repeating modules! What’s more, if I find a job part way through my

degree, I’ve already got the beginnings of a strong CPD portfolio in medicines research and I could complete other modules whilst I’m

an employee!

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Achievements

Collection of various ‘quality concepts’ from the team members (PharmaTrain, SafeSciMet, EMTRAIN, Eu2P)

Alignment with ENQA European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area

Quality assurance from professional/scientific bodies

‘IMI E&T Shared Quality Standard’ defined

9 quality criteria based on quality principles

Position Paper written by Task Force

‘European initiative towards quality standards in education and training for discovery, development and use of medicines’

submitted to European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Course Quality Principles

• Trainees are supported to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills

• Course structures encourage exchange and multi-disciplinarity • Facilities, infrastructure, leadership and competences are

adequate to deliver the approved curriculum• Equality principles are adhered to.• Teaching methods are appropriate to the goals of the course• Transparency is observed regarding potential conflicts of

interest

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

IMI E&T Shared Quality Standard

A formalised and transparent QA/QC policy that includes the following: • University accreditation OR a suitable system for approving, monitoring and reviewing the training

offered. • A system for quality assurance of teaching staff. • Regular review of the QA/QC process and demonstration that the training is further developed in

light of this review.

 

A set of documented criteria for individual modules, courses or course programmes that include the following:

• Defined and transparent admission criteria. • A predefined set of teaching objectives, leading to defined learning outcomes. • The facilities, infrastructure, leadership and competences available for the support of student

learning should be adequate, appropriate and up to date for the training offered. • Assessment of the students' achievement in accordance with the agreed learning outcomes of

the training offered. • A system for collecting, assessing and addressing feedback from learners, teachers,

technical/administrative staff and programme/course/module managers.• Availability of appropriate and updated reference material

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Current Activities

IMI Shared Quality Standard built into the ‘on-course’ catalogue

Proposals for monitoring quality criteria checks• Process / SOP• Task force or panel

Present IMI Shared Quality Standard to professional/scientific bodies at Life-Long Learning workshop, October 2011

ECTS currency• Comparison of ECTS credits and related systems

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Course provider input

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Course provider view

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Course seeker view

Driving the IMI Training and Education Vision in Europe

Affiliate membership of ENQA

Enable the IMI E&T programmes to -keep abreast of developments, -engage with experts and participate in seminars and workshops-opportunities to share experiences and the challenges

European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), a pan-European body that aims to contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of the quality of European higher education.