Student Perception of PBL Process in King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah,LANA A. AL-SHAWWA and SARAH K. HAGI
Abstract
Background: The objective of this study is to assess fourth year undergraduate medical students' perception of the Prob-lem-based Learning (PBL) process after two years of integrated module courses.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in the Faculty of Medicine at King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah-Saudi Arabia during the academic year 2009-2010. Data was collected from a self-administered structured questionnaire which consisted of 14 statements regarding the assessment of PBL process. The students were asked to indicate agreement on a five point Likert scale.
Results: A total of 256 (56%) students chose to participate in this study. The male and female distribution was 158 (62%) and 98 (38%) respectively. All student responses to the 14 questionnaire statements were positive among both genders except for student perception on the availability and ease of access of resources in the university library. Ninety percent of the students declared that PBL trained them to think first before asking questions and 81 % perceived that PBL consumed a lot of preparation time between sessions. Eighty nine percent of the study population perceived that the tutor plays an important role in the success of the PBL session.
Conclusion: The results showed positive effect on students' attendance, ability to integrate among disciplines, and their asking questions skills which were aligned with the available literature. The findings suggest further investigation on how students' PBL experience at KAU might be enhanced and on certain areas of deficiencies that need improvement.