Al Kuwaiti A. Undergraduate Students' Experience of Dental Education Programs across Saudi Arabia: An Exploratory Study.
SAUDI JOURNAL OF MEDICINE & MEDICAL SCIENCES 2024;
12:40-46. [PMID:
38362091 PMCID:
PMC10866383 DOI:
10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_143_23]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Background
Students' satisfaction surveys are valuable tools for assessing and improving the quality of education being imparted. Limited data are available from Saudi Arabia regarding students experience at halfway through an undergraduate dental program.
Objective
To determine students' perception of their halfway experience on various attributes of the quality of dental education programs in public dental schools across Saudi Arabia.
Methods
This exploratory study included all students from four major public universities who had completed their third year of undergraduate dental education during the academic year 2022-23. A previously validated, self-administered, 23-item Students Experience Survey was modified and used to collect data regarding the following five factors: course characteristics, infrastructure and facilities, learning resources, instructor characteristics, and program efficacy.
Results
The questionnaire was administered to 296 students, of which 252 (85.1%) responded. Overall, 84% of the students had a positive experience regarding the quality of the dental education programs. Females reported significantly higher positive experiences than males (mean score: 4.36 vs. 4.21, respectively; P = 0.042). Course characteristics (P = 0.041), instructors' characteristics (P = 0.002), and program efficacy (P = 0.009) were significant predictors of students' overall experience.
Conclusion
This study found that the majority of students had a positive halfway experience with the quality of dental education programs offered in Saudi Arabia. The significant predictors of satisfaction identified in this study can be useful for policymakers to further improve satisfaction levels.
Collapse