Pharmacy Act, 1974 (Act No. 53 of 1974)Board Notices2017 Good Pharmacy Education StandardsAddendumsAddendum 4 : Requirements and Procedures of Council for Accreditation of Prospective Providers and Reaccreditation and Monitoring of Current Providers |
| A. | PURPOSES OF AND PROCESSES FOR THE ACCREDITATION/ REACCREDITATION, EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT OF PROSPECTIVE AND CURRENT PROVIDERS |
| 1. | Purposes of accreditation/reaccreditation of providers |
Note: The purposes of the evaluation and accreditation/reaccreditation of providers of education and training organisations are to:
| (a) | Advance the quality of education and training, thereby advancing the quality of the provision of pharmaceutical services. |
| (b) | Establish criteria and characteristics for approved education and training experiences. |
| (c) | Provide pharmacy employers and personnel with a dependable basis for selecting accredited/reaccredited providers of education and training. |
| (d) | Provide for a uniform basis of the provision of education and training, facilitating the portability of credits and qualifications among pharmacy sectors and providers. |
| (e) | Provide feedback to providers about their courses and encourage self-evaluation with a view towards the continual improvement and strengthening of the education and training activities of pharmacy personnel. |
| (f) | The minimum requirements for the accreditation/reaccreditation of providers of learning programmes for pharmacy personnel must be based on the criteria set out in section 3 below. Private providers that offer full qualifications must be accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as a provider. |
| 2. | The process of evaluation and assessment of providers for accreditation/reaccreditation |
| (a) | The evaluation of a provider must be conducted by persons and/or organisations appointed by Council. |
| (b) | Evaluators must receive appropriate training from Council about the requirements for the evaluation of courses. This includes that the language used is appropriate to the level of the course(s) being offered, as well as guidance on the way in which the requirements are applied in order to ensure consistency across providers, particularly in respect of the assessment of outcomes, so that qualified students are able to perform their designated tasks in the workplace. |
The evaluation of prospective providers of education and training must include measuring the applicant against specified criteria to assess the capacity of the provider, using compliance with the respective ELOs as the main point of reference.
| 3. | Criteria for accreditation/reaccreditation of providers |
| (a) | The criteria for accreditation/reaccreditation of a provider of education and training must be based on an evaluation of: |
| (i) | the provider of education and training |
| (ii) | the course in question, including the curriculum and method of instruction. |
| (b) | The following criteria, inter alia, must be considered by Council when a provider is evaluated in relation to a specific course: |
| (i) | registration as a provider with the Department of Higher Education and Training in terms of any other applicable legislation |
| (ii) | adequate strategic planning |
| (iii) | a demonstrable quality management system |
| (iv) | competent facilitators of learning |
| (v) | an appropriate system for the assessment of students |
| (vi) | courses of a suitable quality |
| (vii) | appropriate practical training and WBL, where applicable. |
| 4. | Evaluation of prospective providers of education and training |
Prospective providers of education and training must comply with the following standards (See also B below: Minimum standards for accreditation visits).
| (a) | Three years prior to the planned admission of students, notify Council of its intention to do so. This step will be evaluated at Council offices. |
| (b) | Two years prior to the admission of students, provide Council with a business plan which describes the intentions of the provider in regard to compliance with |
Standard 2 – minimum standards for organisation and administration, and
Standard 3 – minimum standards for training. This step will be evaluated during an accreditation visit to the intending provider.
| (c) | One year prior to the admission of students, provide Council with a strategic plan which describes how Standards 2 and 3 will be met and its intentions and progress with the implementation of Standard 4 – minimum standards for facilities, and financial, human and physical resources; Standard 5 – minimum standards for delivery of programmes; Standard 6 – minimum standards for students; and Standard 7.2.1 – minimum standards for the quality management system. This step will be evaluated during an accreditation visit to the intending provider. |
| (d) | During the initial and subsequent years of the introduction of the programme accreditation visits will be carried out on an annual basis. |
| (e) | Full accreditation may only be conferred on a provider on completion of the first cycle of training. |
| 5. | Registration as a provider |
Providers must be registered with Council. Where whole qualifications are offered by a provider other than a public education organisation, such organisation must be registered as a private provider/educational organisation with the Department of Higher Education and Training, as indicated above. Accreditation with the Council on Higher Education is mandatory.
| B | REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITATION VISITS |
Accreditation visits for the qualification offered by the school must be conducted on a yearly basis until the first student group graduates. The aim of these visits is to ensure adherence to the prescribed minimum standards listed below:
Learning assumed to be in place
The actual knowledge and skills-base the learner will need to have in order to be able to embark on a learning programme must be specified.
Qualification rules
The structure of the curriculum must show the allocation of modules into fundamental, core and elective components and their credit value must be provided.
Exit level outcomes (ELOs) in relation to the curriculum
All module codes that cover the ELOs and the specified number of credits allocated to each ELO must be provided. Motivation must be provided if the number of credits per ELO deviates by more than 30% from the required credits.
Critical cross-field outcomes in relation to the curriculum
Module codes where the critical cross-field outcomes are found must be provided.
Detailed module content and learning outcomes with reference to assessment criteria
The module names and codes that constitute the programme must be provided and the associated assessment criteria for each module must be specified.
Teaching and learning strategies
The teaching and learning strategy/strategies for different modules or clusters of modules must be described.
Assessment and moderation
How assessment methods are aligned with outcomes must be indicated, referring also to the mode of delivery, level and needs of students. How moderation is carried out and when external moderation takes place must be specified.
Compliance with requirements relating to spacing norms for physical facilities
Compliance with requirements relating to WBL
| C. | REQUIREMENTS FOR MONITORING VISITS |
Ongoing adherence to quality assurance measures is required to ensure that premises, systems and procedures are of an acceptable standard. The Council will, therefore, conduct monitoring visits to each institution, as and when determined by Council, to ensure adherence to the prescribed criteria for the programmes and courses offered by the respective school.
Compliance with the following is required:
| • | the rules for the PT qualification |
| • | the qualification rules for the BPharm degree |
| • | applicable exit level outcomes (ELOs) |
| • | associated assessment criteria |
| • | critical cross-field outcomes |
| • | requirements relating to assessment and moderation. |
A Council delegation performs monitoring visits annually for the PT qualification and every four years for the BPharm qualification. Wherever possible, monitoring visits for the various programmes and courses offered by the school are integrated so that only one comprehensive visit is carried out every four years.