Students' perception of the learning environment in a distributed medical programme

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Distributed Medical Programs
• Healthcare Learning Environments

Background:

• The learning environment significantly impacts medical student achievement and outcomes.
• Equitable learning environments are crucial for distributed undergraduate medical programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the learning environment and its equity across three sites of a distributed medical program at the University of British Columbia Medical School.
• To compare student perceptions between two graduating classes (2008 and 2009).

Main Methods:

• Administered the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Survey to 2nd and 3rd-year medical students.
• Evaluated domains including perceptions of learning, teachers, academic and social self-perceptions, and atmosphere.
• Analyzed mean scores, response distributions, and inter- and intra-site differences.

Main Results:

• Overall positive perception of the learning environment, with strong positive views on teachers.
• Negative perceptions were associated with workload and an emphasis on factual learning.
• Intersite differences were more pronounced in the pioneer class and related to on-site student support.

Conclusions:

• Shared strengths and weaknesses were observed in centrally managed areas like faculty and curriculum.
• Perceptions diverged more in locally managed domains influenced by social factors.
• Highlights the need for ongoing comparative evaluation and inter-site collaboration in distributed medical education.