Eshelman School of Pharmacy: PharmD Student Academic Remediation Procedure

Unit Procedure

Title

Eshelman School of Pharmacy: PharmD Student Academic Remediation Procedure

Introduction

Purpose

Background

The student has already completed the full progression of instruction in the course but has not mastered the course content sufficiently to meet the minimum standards. It is assumed that the student does not need to repeat formal educational experiences (e.g., lectures, labs) but instead requires a period of focused study and review to raise their academic performance to acceptable levels. The remediation procedure attempts to address this need for focused study and review. Remediation is a privilege that is to be earned by the student through demonstrated attendance and active participation throughout the course. Remediation procedures are not intended to correct grade sanctions due to academic dishonesty or plagiarism.

Benefit to Students

The goal of this revised process is to benefit students by allowing them to spend the time needed to master the material to remediate a course. By allowing more time, more students will remediate successfully, thereby minimizing the number who would have to retake the course. Student that have to retake the course incur additional tuition expenses.

Scope

This process applies to first-year PharmD students (PY1).

Procedure

If a student fails a course AND qualifies for remediation (OR retesting when applicable) as outlined by the course director in the course syllabus, the Scholastic Achievement and Progressions Committee will review the student's record to determine the pathway for remediation: either remediating the course or retaking the course in a decelerated curriculum. This determination is made on a case-by-case basis. Opportunities to remediate the entire laboratory component of a laboratory/lecture course are not available. Laboratory courses require retaking the course.

Remediation

• If the course director allows remediation in the course, a statement will be provided in the course syllabus indicating that post-course remediation is available with the qualifiers outlined.
  • Post-Course Remediation Qualification Determination
    • Eligible students must have done the following:
      • Sought help and followed advice from course faculty, advisors, and/or the Office of Student Affairs
      • Abided the course-specific remediation strategies outlined in the course syllabus.
      • Completed all coursework.
      • Adhered to all academic and professional conduct codes.
      • Verification of eligibility will be determined by course faculty in collaboration with the School.
  • Post-course Remediation Process
    • Students are responsible for initiating the Remediation Plan Agreement Form (Appendix A) (to be filled out in collaboration with the course director and Office of Student Affairs staff), which includes the following:
      • The remediation teaching/learning methods that will be used for guidance (e.g., tutoring, review of online lectures, review of course materials on Sakai/Canvas).
      • Articulation of the scope of the remediation content.
      • The number of times and/or hours the student is to meet with the course director/faculty.
      • A list of all assignments and activities the student must complete (e.g., reviewing examinations, reviewing captured lectures, summarizing lecture notes, completing extra assignments).
      • The method in which the student's competency will be assessed.
      • The timeline in which assessments will occur and when the final assessment will be complete.
      • Signatures from both the student and the course director affirming the plan.
    • Students who remediate are expected to utilize all available resources to revisit course material.
    • Post-course Remediation Timing: Post-course remediation will be offered during the Spring semester (for Fall courses) and Summer Session I (May/June) (for Spring courses). Remediation must be completed prior to the start of the next academic year. The remediation instructor must email the Associate Dean for Professional Education and the Director of Student Affairs the remediation results.

The School offers a structured, guided remediation of the Fall PY1 course material in the Spring, while students are enrolled in their full-semester coursework, or in the Summer for their Spring PY1 course material, when students are not enrolled in any courses. The Course Director (CD), in collaboration with course-specific faculty:

• Will set dates for formative and final assessments,
• May assign homework, will hold formal sessions, and
• Will inform students of resources (including faculty) that are available.

Only one course may be remediated within a given period. Students who receive a Pass the remediation will move forward in the curriculum.

Re-Testing

Retesting is an alternative to formal remediation. A course director may offer retesting if:

• The course final examination is cumulative (assesses a large majority of the learning objectives)
• The course final examination comprises at least 50% of the course grade or contributes significantly in a non-traditional grading scheme
• The performance on the final examination is ≥60%

• If the course director allows retesting in the course, a statement will be provided in the course syllabus indicating that post-course retesting is available with the qualifiers outlined in the Remediation section of this document.
  • Post-course Retest Process
    • Post-course Retesting Timing: Post-course retesting will be offered within 10 days of the final examination.
• Student may re-test a maximum of 2 courses in a given semester.

What happens if a student fails the remediation?

A student who does not successfully remediate the course OR pass the retest will fail the course. The grade of IN will be changed to an F. All course failures are referred to the Scholastic Achievement and Progressions Committee for review.

Who qualifies for remediation in the didactic curriculum?

Each course outlines course-specific details of who qualifies for remediation, and, in general, the following criteria must also hold true:

• Would earn a failing grade without remediation (or retest when applicable).
• Must not have failed the course due to a code of conduct violation (e.g., cheating, plagiarism).
• Must not have failed the same course previously.
• Must be in good academic standing at the time the failure occurs.
• Final percentage earned in the original course is above 65 (≥65)% or as defined for Pass/Fail courses that do not grade.
• Must earn ≥65% on any programmatic milestone assessment as defined by the Program Outcomes that occur within the course (if applicable, unavailable in 2023/24).¹
• Must have shown investment in the original course, as determined by the course coordinator.
  1. Investment is demonstrated through regular course engagement using one or more of the following potential indicators:
     1. On-time submission of 90% of assignments;
     2. Documented attendance to office hours (Teaching Assistant or Faculty);
     3. Documented attendance to tutoring;
     4. Timely response to email communication;
     5. Document class attendance for 90% of class sessions;
     6. Document attendance of 80% of Student Success Workshops from the time they enter the series.²
• Must qualify for remediation according to the standards outlined in the course syllabus.

A failure in a course that qualifies for remediation is listed as "IN" on the transcript until remediation is complete. Once the student has successfully remediated the course, the course grade is changed to a "C." Students who do not successfully pass the remediation will fail the course (grade will be changed from an IN to an F) and will be referred to the Scholastic Achievement and Progressions Committee.

Students must complete remediation and have the course grade changed from an IN to a passing grade by August 1 to progress on to the next academic year.

Students who fail a course and do not qualify for remediation must retake the course at the next offering.

Reasonable efforts will be made to ensure a remediation course is available. However, due to potential extenuating circumstances influencing course delivery, remediation offerings cannot be guaranteed. In this case, the student would re-take the course at the next available course offering.

Remediation and Pharmacy Calculations

Students who fail pharmacy calculations in the Fall of their first-professional year can retake the course in the Spring semester of that year. This is not a remediation but a course retake (see Definitions).

How does remediation impact immersion experiences?

The summer immersion of students who must remediate a course(s) during in the summer term(s) because of a failure of a Spring course (e.g. PY1 summer) will be rescheduled to allow for remediation to occur. The immersion will be rescheduled based on availability of preceptors and sites and may not be at the same site or with the same preceptor as originally scheduled. The immersion may be scheduled during any summer term before the PY4 year and during the PY2 summer internship opportunity. Immersions must take priority over any elective internships. Students who remediate during the Spring semester for a Fall course may proceed with immersion as scheduled if the remediation is successful.

Are there any additional consequences to remediation?

Any student who fails a course or requires remediation will not be a candidate for a dual-degree program.

What do Faculty need for remediation?

The course director offering remediation submits the learning objectives the student needs to remediate and outlines a remediation plan. The course director may or may not be the course director for the remediation process. The course director for the failing course (or a designated instructor from that course) may be needed to assist the student during the remediation process.

How many remediations are students allowed to complete?

Students are allowed to remediate a total of two courses within the curriculum. If a passing grade is not earned in a course after two courses are remediated in the curriculum, a grade of F will be assigned, and the course will have to be repeated/retaken in the next offering.

Recommendations for Courses

• Grading schemes should be based on assessing mastery of the material. This may include, but is not limited to mid-terms, final exams, standardized patients, individual projects, individual cases.
  1. The following assessments should be low stakes and contribute little to the course grade: pre-class quizzes, attendance, participation, homework, group activities.
• Assessments that are part of the grading scheme need to be mapped to a course learning objective. Course learning objectives will be needed to individualize the remediation plan.
• Courses use formal supplemental instruction or frequent office hours to support students. The goal is to prevent remediation from being necessary.
• Courses should use a master approach in that with each assessment students can perform corrective activities to remediate any failing grades thus helping students master the material during the semester.

Definitions

Remediation: A sequence of events, beyond the standard course curriculum, designed to bring apparently underperforming students to a level of competency expected at the conclusion of a course. The remediation process should provide opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate the required knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes through self-directed learning and purposeful interactions with faculty. Students and faculty should both be active participants in the remediation process; however, remediation is a privilege that should be earned by the student through demonstrated attendance and active participation throughout the course. When a course is remediated, a grade of 'IN' (incomplete) will be submitted. This grade will be replaced with a 'C' if successfully remediated. Students have up to 6 months to remediate a course, after which the IN will be changed to an F.

Retaking a Course: Retaking a course means students will retake a failed course with the course retake. They will have an F on their transcript for the failed course and an earned grade for the retake (i.e., two grades for the same course, offered twice, on the transcript). As an example, if a student fails PHCY 508 in the Fall semester, they may retake PHCY 508 in the Spring and, if they pass the Spring course, proceed in the curriculum.

Retesting: Retesting means the student re-takes one or more exams to prove competency. Retesting is not the same as remediation. For example, if a student fails the cumulative final, they may be offered a second attempt at the final exam to replace or augment the original grade.

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Title: Assistant Dean for PharmD Didactic Curriculum and Individualization

Name: Kathryn Morbitzer, PharmD, MS

Telephone: 919-843-1800

Email: kmorbitzer@unc.edu

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