Development and implementation of a competency-based pharmaceutical compounding unit using pass/fail grading for Australian pre-registration pharmacy students

When appropriately designed, the change to grade-only, competency-based units of study provided a more holistic assessment of students' pharmaceutical compounding skills and increased both student and teacher satisfaction. The educational and assessment design principles described here address key challenges in contemporary higher education. Adequate resources to allow students multiple opportunities to develop skills and demonstrate competence, and ongoing reflection and adjustment of the educational design in response to staff and student feedback are keys to successful implementation.