Curriculum Information

Document Version

QAA Benchmarks

Educational Aim

Learning Outcomes

Course Structure

Level 7 Modules

Teaching and Assessment

Learning and Teaching Methods

Employer Engagement

N/A

Means of Assessment

The assessment strategy explicitly reinforces enterprise and professional capability. The Integrated Case Analysis requires students to interrogate their own clinical decision-making, fostering the reflective, self-evaluative habits that underpin safe, adaptive specialist practice. The Applied Critical Analysis develops the ability to communicate complex clinical evidence clearly, which is a skill directly transferable to leadership, teaching, and quality improvement roles. The capstone project formats - Quality Improvement Protocol, Grand Round or a Guideline Appraisal are not academic exercises but authentic professional outputs, the kind of work that shapes departmental practice and builds reputational capital within institutions. 

Clinical rotations delivered through the partner pathway further embed professional identity and subspecialty exposure, ensuring graduates bring documented, structured clinical experience to job applications and MRCP(UK) candidacy. 

For UK Locally Employed Doctors, the programme provides a parallel academic progression route that strengthens their CV and deanery application prospects without requiring them to pause employment. 

Learning Support

All students are enrolled on a Study Skills orientation module which serves as their induction in the week preceding the start of the course. This module provides the students with an entire week of induction and resources. Representatives from the Learna Student Services Department are available throughout the induction week to answer queries and problems as they arise and provide proactive support before the course commences. 

Students can also access the module throughout the entire course as an essential reference guide. 

Key areas include: 

• Welcome to the programme and Team 

• Introduction to online learning, navigation of the learning platform 

• Elements of assessment  

• Library training  

• Key skills for the programme including - referencing, critical appraisal, reflective practice, levels of evidence, how to write scientifically and academic misconduct 

• Student support services and wellbeing provision 

• Problem solving activities to engage the new students  

• Question and answer sessions 

 Student engagement, participation and academic progress is is monitored throughout the course by the Student Services and Tutor Support Teams via Moodle’s analytics dashboard, providing real-time insights into attendance, participation and engagement with online learning materials. Designated student engagement officers enable the early identification of students who may benefit from additional support or intervention. 

9am-5pm Monday to Friday for office support with the learning platform; however, tutors are contactable over weekends as well as during the week. 

Student Services also offers an appointment booking service. Students can schedule a call to discuss any queries throughout their time on the course. This flexible approach supports inclusivity and flexibility and enables international students in different time zones to have direct contact with the Student Services Team at a time convenient to them. 

One tutor provides learning guidance for 10-20 students. They are available for academic support and are contactable via Moodle. The tutor's role is to facilitate students’ learning rather than to provide didactic teaching. The tutor will stimulate the students to pursue appropriate lines of academic inquiry in the Academic Forum and provide direction to ensure the module learning outcomes are met. 

The Academic Forum is the discussion board where a large proportion of the learning and assessment for each module takes place. It is a seminar environment where the tutor and student group engage in critical appraisal and discussion of the topic area. These provide students with the opportunity to engage actively with their peers and tutors, deepening their problem-solving skills and demonstrating community of practice. 

All Academic Forum contributions are assessed, however there is emphasis in the early modules on detailed feedback, helping students to understand expectations and improve their approach to academic discourse. As the programme progresses, the focus gradually shifts from skill acquisition to demonstrating mastery in content-rich discussions. 

Student Services Officers monitor each student’s participation in the learning platform, providing encouragement and guidance to help them keep up with the pace of their studies and will contact them if they fall behind. The team also provide student participation reports which are sent to students regularly (on a weekly basis throughout their first module) to help keep them on track. 

This is provided on a one-to-one basis by a designated project supervisor during the Capstone Project. 

The online resources for students include: 

• An online Study Skills preparation week, with continued access to it throughout the course for revision purposes.  

• Access to USW’s online library facilities including training in digital literacy and academic software.  

• The Learna Library resource provides online reading resources, multi-media content and links to search engines and databases including EBSCO. 

• Weekly reading lists on the Moodle website provide students with direct links to recommended reading material that can be accessed throughout the course. 

• A WhatsApp social channel, overseen by the Student Services Team, provides an informal area for students to converse. 

  Students have full access to the USW Library and IT department which offers an extensive digital collection, including a range of databases. Subject librarians deliver tailored research skills sessions and one-to-one support.  

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  Students have access to Findit, which locates online resources.  

   

  Together with introductory sessions embedded in the Study Skills orientation module, the library offers an online study guide to introduce students to the services and support it provides. A 24/7 online chat facility enables students to seek support and book one-to-one appointments.  

The Learner Development Service delivers academic-skills workshops and individual tutorials covering writing, referencing, data analysis, and presentation skills. Support is available online.? 

https://www.southwales.ac.uk/services/learner-development-service/? 

For the full duration of the course, students have full access to the University of South Wales Advice Zone and a designated in-house Student Services Team (from Learna). 

The range and availability of Learna’s Student Services is as follows: 

1. Student Services Officers monitor students' participation in the learning platform, providing encouragement and guidance to help them keep up with the pace of their studies and will contact them if they fall behind. 

1. Students can book calls with their Student Services Officer. Student Services can also contact the Teaching Services Team, which will work with the tutor to encourage and guide specific students through direct messaging. 

1. The Student Services Team has developed a knowledge base resource which answers many frequently asked questions and is fully accessible via a link on Moodle for the duration of the course. 

1. The Student Services Team provides 9am - 5 pm office hours by telephone throughout the course (including between module breaks). Students can also book out-of-hours calls via an acuity service to accommodate international students' differing time zones. 

1. Email enquiries via a ticketing system ‘freshdesk’ are responded to within the times set by Learna, with an aim to reply to students within 2 working days. 

For academic queries, students can message their tutors in several ways. They can ask queries via their tutor group on the Academic Forum, or they can privately message their tutor on Moodle at any time for one-to-one academic support.  

Students complete feedback surveys at the end of every module, the results of which are collated by the quality team and assessed internally. They also contribute to continuous monitoring reports for USW. Where feedback leads to change, this is reported on the ‘Student Voice’ section on Moodle in a ‘You said, we did’ area so that the students get direct responses to any feedback that brings forth change.?

In all cases of disability, the Learna Student Services Team will work with the student on an individual basis. 

In addition, the Disability Service provides a confidential and professional service where students can discuss individual requirements relating to disability. This includes students with physical, sensory, mental health or unseen disabilities, specific learning difficulties (e.g., dyslexia) or neurodiversity. Advice and support are available for all students who have additional learning needs or require reasonable adjustments to be made. Students are encouraged to discuss additional needs or support with personal tutors and the Course Leader.??? 

https://disability.southwales.ac.uk/ 

The Wellbeing Service offers counselling, mental-health advice, workshops, and self-help resources. Staff work closely with academic teams to provide appropriate support and crisis response.? 

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https://www.southwales.ac.uk/current-students/advice-zone/a-z/support-for-students-at-usw/? 

The Student Services Team?works with students to identify areas of academic concern, for example decisions about transferring courses, changing study modes, or taking temporary withdrawal, and can advise on available options and suggest a holistic support plan. 

Students on the course are already in active employment. 

However, The programme's direct alignment with MRCP(UK) examination content provides a simultaneous academic and professional credentialling advantage, accelerating progress through postgraduate training pathways. Beyond examination preparation, the programme develops the advanced clinical reasoning, critical appraisal, and evidence-based decision-making skills that underpin promotion to senior clinical roles, fellowship applications, and clinical leadership positions. 

In addition, The Capstone Project serves to produce a tangible professional output immediately applicable to audit, quality improvement, or service development, strengthening portfolios and demonstrating the scholarly independence expected of consultants and senior trainees.  

Course Exit Points

Progression Route

Entry Requirements

Admission to the course is typically through the following qualifications:

Inclusive Curriculum Statement

The University of South Wales operates a policy of inclusive learning, teaching and assessment to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to fulfil their educational potential. Course teams will have considered ways of designing out any potentially disadvantageous element of courses during the course design process. However some specific needs may remain, details about how to apply to have your needs assessed can be found at: http://unilife.southwales.ac.uk/pages/3040-disability-and-dyslexia-service/

Addendum for Delivery at a Partner Institution

N/A