Student Satisfaction Surveys for the Undergraduates of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna

Abstract

Regular monitoring of medical education program has become an essential component in university accreditation systems. Evaluation of feedback responses regularly through Student Satisfaction Surveys (SSS) is an important evidence-based approach to monitor and improve the quality of medical education. The aim of this survey is to evaluate the education program of undergraduates through SSS. Five Google Form based SSS were conducted at the Faculty of Medicine (FoM), University of Ruhuna from September 2020 to May 2022. The questionnaire was reviewed and approved by the internal quality assurance cell and the Faculty Board, FoM. Google Forms were shared among the students of each batch immediately after their respective examinations. Responses given by the students were analyzed using Microsoft Excel program. Data were presented as frequencies and percentages. The response rate in the five SSS were 28.9%, 39.6%, 64%, 15% and 10%, respectively. The gradual increase in the response rate during the first three surveys was declined to 10% in the last SSS. A majority of the respondents were female students (range 65.5-78.3%). A majority (78.3%) of the students (range 57.9-82.1%) reported, “Learning objectives and timetables are given before the commencement of the course”. The quality of teaching in the FoM is good, except for the support provided to pass the repeat examinations. Around 10% (2.2-24.1%) of the students reported some kind of disabilities. Of the students with disabilities, a majority (71.4%) (58.6-100%) of the students reported that they are satisfied with the support received from the faculty to continue their learning activities. These findings would be beneficial for the university administrators for decision-making in developing the quality of medical education. However, the low response rates could reduce the reliability of the findings, as it does not adequately represent the target population.