Student Feedback on Instruction Policy - Integrated Core

Effective July 1, 2026

Policy statement

Provision of student feedback on instruction (SFI) is a professional expectation of pharmacists and student pharmacists. Students who fail to complete their assigned SFI forms (SFIFs) for courses in the Doctor of Pharmacy program in a timely manner are considered deficient in their fulfillment of professional obligations. The first failure to complete 90% of assigned SFIFs for a given learning period will result in a warning. Subsequent failures will result in submission of a Professionalism Concerns Report (PCR), with consequences as outlined in the school’s policy on professionalism.

Background

Action to improve healthcare and healthcare education is a key component of professionalism for pharmacy trainees and pharmacists.1 One means by which healthcare education is improved is through the provision of timely, thoughtful, and actionable feedback.2 Students are expected to provide feedback on instructors and courses, and guidance on providing effective feedback is provided.3 While a sampling approach – only assigning a subset of students to provide feedback - has shown to provide adequately representative results, it magnifies the importance of full completion of assigned feedback.4 Mandated completion of assigned feedback has been enacted at other health professions schools.5 To emphasize the importance of feedback for professional development, this policy considers completion of assigned feedback as a component of professionalism and provides for sanction if expectations in this area are not met.

Applicability

This policy applies to all Doctor of Pharmacy students for required courses in the Integrated Core, including all Themes, Inquiry Immersion, and the Discovery Project.

Definitions

Learning period - For Integrated Core coursework, this is the Integrated Core Theme during which the instructional activity took place. For Discovery Projects, this is the academic quarter during which the research experience is completed.

Responsibility

  • The Integrated Core Team (ICT) will be responsible for sending reminder emails to students whose feedback is delinquent and for providing OSA a list of students who do not complete their SFI after the specified deadlines.  
  • The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) will be responsible for completing a PCR for students who have a second instance and subsequent instance.
  • The Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee (CEPC) will be responsible for review of this policy to ensure it is meeting its specified goals.
     

Procedures

The deadline for completion of SFI will be one week after the last day of Core Wrap-up Week for that Theme, or one week after the completion of Inquiry Immersion. Students who have not completed their SFIs will receive email reminders. Students who have not completed at least 90% of their assigned SFIs by the deadline will be considered to have not met professionalism standards. For the first Theme in which this occurs, a student will receive a warning via email. Upon a second or subsequent failure to satisfy the expectation for completion of SFI, a PCR will be filed as per the Professionalism Policy.

References

  1. Professionalism: A Core Academic Competency
  2. Wright, S. L., & Jenkins-Guarnieri, M. (2012). Student evaluations of teaching: Combining the meta-analyses and demonstrating further evidence for effective use. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(6), 683-699
  3. Providing Effective Feedback on Educational Activities (login required)
  4. Kreiter, C. D. and Lakshman, V. (2005), Investigating the use of sampling for maximising the efficiency of student-generated faculty teaching evaluations. Medical Education, 39: 171–175.
  5. Barnett CW, Matthews HW. Teaching evaluation practices in colleges and schools of pharmacy. Am J Pharm Educ. 2009 Oct 1;73(6):103.