Introduction
The Pharmacy undergraduate programme is designed to provide a science-based education to prepare students for practice. The curriculum experience should include vocational and theoretical learning. The structured environment of a university tends to encourage learners to attain knowledge in order to pass examinations. An educational discrepancy can occur when the curriculum aims to prepare students for practice, yet students perceive the course as a series of examination-led barriers. The way in which students approach their learning tends to vary from task to task and department to department¹. Learning approach is additionally influenced by environment, subject, teaching methods and student perceptions. The Course Perception Questionnaire (CPQ) was developed as a performance indicator of teaching quality to describe context in terms of educational objectives of a university². This study aims to compare the course experiences of students across a changed curriculum design.

Methods
Three undergraduate cohorts were sampled during their third year of a pharmacy degree programme (entry years 1991, 1994 and 1995). The 1991 and 1994 cohorts were subsequently sampled again during their first year of registration and pre-registration year respectively. The 1995 entry year cohort experienced a curriculum, which promoted individual autonomy and self-management with significant sections designed for problem-based learning. CPQ data was analysed using exploratory factor analysis, ANOVA and unpaired t-tests. The quantitative data was interfaced with qualitative data obtained from stratified sampling interviews. Qualitative data analysis was conducted using iterative coding, managed with QSR NUD*IST v4 and explored using display matrices. A second coder checked coding credibility.

Results and discussion
Four factors were confirmed (appropriate workload, clear goals and standards, social climate and vocational relevance) from CPQ data analogous to other studies³, with satisfactory internal reliability (coefficient alpha 0.61 to 0.81). The 1995 entry year scored lower on workload than the other cohorts (ANOVA, F=5.5, p=0.004). Analysis of the qualitative data indicated that the 1995 cohort testify to more "active involvement" in learning. This cohort experienced an increased number of self-study assignments compared to the previous two years who reported domination of rote learning and practicals. Paradoxically, encouraging autonomy and independence in learners implies greater personal resource on behalf of the student, however these results would appear to suggest that orthodox didacticism requires greater effort.

When the 1991 and 1994 cohorts were re-surveyed, the vocational relevance scores were significantly less in both cases, compared to their original cohort scores as undergraduates (t-test, p=0.002 and p<0.001 respectively). This was confirmed retrospectively by interviewees from these cohorts, who believed they were ill prepared for practice due to the theoretical nature of their degree program.

Conclusions.
A degree program that encourages individual autonomy, self-management and independence will be perceived by learners as a positive learning environment. We argue that this will result in enhanced vocational relevance and more desirable learning approaches. The qualitative data suggest that learners experiencing the reformed curriculum exhibit enhanced learning by being active proponents rather than passive recipients of knowledge.

References.

1. Ramsden, P. and Entwistle, N.J., (1981) Effects of academic departments on students' approaches to studying, Br. J. Educ. Psychol., 51: 368-383
2. Ramsden, P., (1979), Student learning and perceptions of the academic environment Higher Educ., 8: 411-427
3. Entwistle, N.J., and Ramsden, P., (1983) Understanding student learning, London: Croom Helm