Zooming in on factors influencing the effectiveness of teaching general courses in the medical curriculum in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Jorjani, Masoumeh; Amini, Mitra; Kohan, Noushin; Sajjadi, Seyyed Samad; Isazadeh, Nikzad; Habibi, Amin; Sohanaki, Maryam; Kanani, Pouria; Mortazavi, Reza

Volume 16 - Supplement IJMEHM 2023, 16 - Supplement: 74-92 | Back to browse issues page

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Jorjani M, Amini M, Kohan N, Sajjadi S S, Isazadeh N, Habibi A, et al . Zooming in on factors influencing the effectiveness of teaching general courses in the medical curriculum in the Islamic Republic of Iran. IJMEHM 2023; 16 (S1) : 7
URL: http://ijme.tums.ac.ir/article-1-6663-en.html

Zooming in on factors influencing the effectiveness of teaching general courses in the medical curriculum in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Masoumeh Jorjani ^*

¹, Mitra Amini²

, Noushin Kohan³

, Seyyed Samad Sajjadi⁴

, Nikzad Isazadeh⁵

, Amin Habibi³

, Maryam Sohanaki⁵

, Pouria Kanani⁶

, Reza Mortazavi⁷

1- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IRAN
2- Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine & Clinical Education Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IRAN
3- Department of Medical Education, Smart University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IRAN.
4- Department of Foreign Languages Education, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IRAN
5- Department of Islamic Education, Research Center of Quran, Hadith and Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IRAN
6- Medical Student, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IRAN
7- Expert of Supreme Medical Planning Council,, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, IRAN

Abstract: (432 Views)

General courses can effectively empower students and enhance their professional and social personality, and it is essential to continuously evaluate the effectiveness, status, and updating of these courses. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the effectiveness of teaching general courses in the medical curriculum in Iran. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative phases. After conducting semi-structured interviews with experts, medical students, and professors of general courses, and using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis method, 528 codes were extracted and classified into 4 themes, 11 categories, and 33 subcategories. The main themes included updating the curriculum, focusing on effective and purposeful learning, collaboration and needs assessment of the stakeholders, and linking general courses with practical skills. Based on the results of the qualitative phase, a model for the effective teaching of general courses was developed using Delphi method with subject matter experts, and the validity of the model was confirmed with a two-round validation process. Removing unnecessary courses or those with repetitive content, designing needs-oriented content, involving experts in course revisions, using skill-based education methods, increasing skill-based and practical courses, flexibility in evaluation, and utilizing new educational technologies indicated the highest mean and consensus index. The results showed the necessity of evolving the traditional education system, rethinking, revising the topics and content, focusing on skills based on new needs, promoting evaluation models, and utilizing modern tools and technologies in teaching general courses.

Article number: 7

Keywords: General courses, Curriculum, Medical sciences, Skills and Capabilities, Foresight

Full-Text [PDF 747 kb] (180 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Ethics in Medical Education
Received: 2024/01/9 | Accepted: 2023/11/22 | Published: 2023/11/22