Distinguishes between communication apprehension (CA), the fear of actually communicating, and communication development, the ability to maintain and improve performance as a communicator. Indicates that CA needs to be addressed before progress can be made in developing the communication skills of graduates to which employers attach considerable importance. Reports the results of a study comparing levels of CA amongst business and accounting students in the UK and Spain, which confirm the high levels of CA found in North American students but also indicate differences which may be due to cultural and other factors. Considers implications of findings for curriculum design and staff development.

Over the last two decades there has been a substantial increase in the number and range of service sector SMEs. The management competence of the owner-manager and/ or senior staff is crucial to their success. Developing appropriate competencies presents a particular challenge for professional service SMEs, since the key players are more likely to be motivated by the perceived attractions of professional practice than the commercial and managerial aspects of the enterprise. Drawing upon the experiences of community pharmacists in the UK as an empirical frame of reference, consideration is given to the key management competencies, both operational and strategic, which are required to operate a professional service enterprise successfully. Issues concerning the provision of management training for community pharmacists are also highlighted.

Highlights the current emphasis on student feedback in the review and evaluation of units/modules at higher education level for quality audit purposes. Expresses the view that, while this is unquestionably desirable and necessary, other stakeholder perspectives are essential to create a balanced picture – in particular, the professional judgments of academic staff. Explains how the principle of peer review informed a pilot project at Sheffield Hallam University, in which two groups of academic staff from different units within the same broad subject area reviewed and evaluated each other’s units. Reports on the background and motivation for the project and on the setting up and management of the review process. Identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the process based on feedback from the participants. Indicates some of the cultural and procedural lessons learnt from the project and suggests ways of taking the process forward.

No abstract

With patient expertise being afforded greater legitimacy in healthcare provision, there is a strengthening case for involving patients more creatively in the education of healthcare professionals. This paper reports on the results of a small-scale educational research project designed to explore how third-year physiotherapy students experienced a teaching session on the subject of strokes, led by two expert patients, and what they learnt from it. Applying a qualitative methodology, six students were interviewed in depth about the experience. Four key pedagogic themes emerged from the analysis of the interview transcripts. The first related to the differences between the expert patients in terms of their backgrounds and their reactions to experiencing a stroke and of their respective contributions to the session. A second concerned the anxieties students felt in participating in a session of this kind, since there were various departures from the norm, and what they should take from it in terms of their learning. A third theme was uncertainty regarding the relationship between the presenters and students. The fourth theme was the impact on student learning given that it had not been a conventional session. Notwithstanding any misgivings the session helped to validate the contribution that those who have direct experience of a clinical condition can make to the education of healthcare professionals, particularly in the affective domain. In planning sessions of this kind it is recommended that presenters are chosen with a view to challenging stereotypes and that they are encouraged to tell their stories in an open and flexible manner, albeit within a framework of intended learning outcomes. Students need to approach the session with an open mind and, above all, tutors need to be prepared to take risks.