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Barnawi A, Sonbol AM, Al-Shawwa L, Abulaban A, Asiri K, Bagasi A, Alafari R, Alamoudi AA. Employing students' evaluations and tutors' perceptions to evaluate a faculty development program on problem-based learning at the Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University. BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2024; 24:708. [PMID: 38951776 PMCID: PMC11218292 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05662-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Faculty development programs are crucial for promoting continuous learning, enhancing teaching effectiveness, and encouraging professional growth among medical educators. Problem-based learning was introduced as a teaching strategy in our Faculty of Medicine in 2007. Thereafter, several rounds of a faculty development program were conducted to help teachers recognize their role as facilitators and assess areas for improvement. METHODS We conducted a mixed-methods study with a sample of 284 third-year medical students answering a questionnaire and 21 faculty members participating in focus groups. A validated 13-item questionnaire was used to investigate the students' evaluation of their tutors' performance in problem-based learning. Three sessions were then conducted with faculty members involved in problem-based learning to gain in-depth insights into their experiences and perspectives. RESULTS The mean performance ranking for tutors awarded by the students was above halfway. There was a significant positive correlation between tutors' performance ranking and all five of the learning approaches examined herein: constructive/active learning, self-directed learning, contextual learning, collaborative learning, and intra-personal behavior (p < 0.05). The data from the focus groups were analyzed under five broad themes: tutors' insights into their strengths and weaknesses, challenges in conducting problem-based learning, tutors' ways of preparing for problem-based learning, feedback, and suggestions for improving problem-based learning workshops. CONCLUSIONS This study recommends improvements and future directions for advanced program evaluation. Faculty development programs can be tailored to effectively address students and faculty members' goals and needs, which can benefit the teaching and learning process and foster a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahlam Barnawi
- Department of Respiratory Therapy, Intensive Care Unit, King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M Sonbol
- Musculoskeletal Centre of Excellence, International Medical Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Lana Al-Shawwa
- Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alwalla Abulaban
- Department of Respiratory Therapy, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalil Asiri
- Bariq Health Sector, Ministry of Health, Asir, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz Bagasi
- Department of Family Medicine, Ministry of National Guard - Health Affairs , Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem Alafari
- Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aliaa Amr Alamoudi
- Clinical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of medicine, King AbdulAziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Abdulghani HM, Sattar K, Ahmad T, Akram A, Khalil MS. Faculty development program assists the new faculty in constructing high-quality short answer questions; a quasi-experimental study. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249319. [PMID: 33780493 PMCID: PMC8007032 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Faculty development programs (FD) prepare the faculty for their educational role and career tasks. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of FDP in advancing the quality of short-answer questions (SAQs). This was a quasi-experimental study, comprising 37 new faculty. The SAQs were examined on psychometric analysis and Bloom's cognitive levels for the two educational blocks of 1st medical year (i.e. Musculoskeletal (MSK) and Renal blocks). We found substantial improvement in the discrimination index values of SAQs prepared after the workshop (p = 0.04). A higher number of SAQs with moderate difficulty and higher discrimination were also observed. Flaws within the post-workshop questions were reduced (3.0%) when compared with pre-workshop (12.5%). The major incline was also reported within Bloom's cognitive levels when pre-workshop K2 questions (30%) were compared with post-workshop (45.5%) with a p-value = 0.05. The SAQs constructed by the faculty member without participating in FDP are generally of unsatisfactory quality. After the FDP the assessment items of two blocks improved for various parameters of student assessment. The current study advocates that newly joined faculty shall be provided with the FDP to be guided, trained and supported for improving the quality of assessment through SAQs items writing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kamran Sattar
- Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Education, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Tauseef Ahmad
- Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, NIMS University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Ashfaq Akram
- Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mahmoud Salah Khalil
- Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Algahtani H, Shirah B, Alshawwa L, Tekian A, Norcini J. Factors to be considered in designing a faculty development program for medical education: local experience from the Western region of Saudi Arabia. Yeungnam Univ J Med 2020; 37:210-216. [PMID: 32311868 PMCID: PMC7384914 DOI: 10.12701/yujm.2020.00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Among the different aims of medical education, the provision of society with skilled, professional, and knowledgeable healthcare workers who maintain and develop their expertise over a lifetime career is important. The achievement of this goal is linked with the professional development of both faculty members and healthcare workers. This study aims to measure the perception of faculty members regarding their views about the goals of faculty development programs, practices and activities, and factors that determine their achievement. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in multiple universities in the Western region of Saudi Arabia. The participants were given a pre-designed self-administered questionnaire generated from literature. The survey questionnaire consisted of three sections that were designed to assess the faculty members’ perception on the faculty development program. Results A total of 210 faculty members participated in the study. The most important perceived goal was to motivate teachers to become better teachers. The most important perceived practice was establishing a positive climate for teaching and learning. The most important perceived factor was skilled and dedicated staff support. Conclusion The results of this study demonstrate that faculty members have positive perceptions regarding all aspects of faculty development programs. This study will raise awareness regarding the importance of faculty development programs in sustaining educational vitality. We recommend the implementation and maintenance of comprehensive faculty development programs in Saudi universities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein Algahtani
- Neurology Section, Department of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bader Shirah
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lana Alshawwa
- Department of Medical Education, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ara Tekian
- Department of Medical Education, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - John Norcini
- Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Algahtani H, Shirah B, Subahi A, Aldarmahi A, Algahtani R. Effectiveness and Needs Assessment of Faculty Development Programme for Medical Education: Experience from Saudi Arabia. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J 2020; 20:e83-e89. [PMID: 32190374 DOI: 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Faculty members are the most important resource in any institution of higher education as medical education has been, and continues to be, a priority for medical colleges in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess faculty members' perceptions of faculty development programmes (FDPs) in supporting important goals in medical education. In addition, this study aimed to assess faculty members' perceived needs. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2016 and August 2017 and involved participants from six universities in Saudi Arabia's Western Province. The survey consisted of 31 items designed to assess FDP effectiveness and 49 items designed to assess needs in FDPs. Results A total of 210 faculty members participated in the study (response rate = 52.5%) and identified 49 needs. Faculty members perceived personal improvement in delivering medical education and the provision of greater educational involvement as the most effective considerations in an FDP. The respondents considered 13 needs to be of utmost importance; the remaining were considered important. Conclusion This study assessed and identified faculty needs and important skills to consider when establishing an FDP. Furthermore, it provided information addressing the needs of, or gaps between, current and desired conditions in medical education in Saudi Arabia. The study also identified the most important elements (i.e. personal improvement) of faculty-perceived effectiveness for a successful FDP in medical education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein Algahtani
- College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bader Shirah
- College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad Subahi
- College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad Aldarmahi
- College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Raghad Algahtani
- College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Abdulghani HM, Ahmad F, Irshad M, Khalil MS, Al-Shaikh GK, Syed S, Aldrees AA, Alrowais N, Haque S. Faculty development programs improve the quality of Multiple Choice Questions items' writing. Sci Rep 2015; 5:9556. [PMID: 25828516 PMCID: PMC4381327 DOI: 10.1038/srep09556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the utility of long term faculty development programs (FDPs) in order to improve the quality of multiple choice questions (MCQs) items' writing. This was a quasi-experimental study, conducted with newly joined faculty members. The MCQ items were analyzed for difficulty index, discriminating index, reliability, Bloom's cognitive levels, item writing flaws (IWFs) and MCQs' nonfunctioning distractors (NFDs) based test courses of respiratory, cardiovascular and renal blocks. Significant improvement was found in the difficulty index values of pre- to post-training (p = 0.003). MCQs with moderate difficulty and higher discrimination were found to be more in the post-training tests in all three courses. Easy questions were decreased from 36.7 to 22.5%. Significant improvement was also reported in the discriminating indices from 92.1 to 95.4% after training (p = 0.132). More number of higher cognitive level of Bloom's taxonomy was reported in the post-training test items (p<0.0001). Also, NFDs and IWFs were reported less in the post-training items (p<0.02). The MCQs written by the faculties without participating in FDPs are usually of low quality. This study suggests that newly joined faculties need active participation in FDPs as these programs are supportive in improving the quality of MCQs' items writing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Farah Ahmad
- Department of Medical Education, King Saud University, Riyadh-11321, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad Irshad
- Department of Medical Education, King Saud University, Riyadh-11321, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mahmoud Salah Khalil
- Department of Medical Education, King Saud University, Riyadh-11321, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Sadiqa Syed
- Department of Basic Sciences, The Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Norah Alrowais
- Department of Family & Community Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh-11321, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shafiul Haque
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan-45142, Saudi Arabia
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Bin Abdulrahman K, Harden R, Patrício M. Medical education in Saudi Arabia: an exciting journey. MEDICAL TEACHER 2012; 34 Suppl 1:S4-5. [PMID: 22409190 DOI: 10.3109/0142159x.2012.660509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
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