Student Participation in Quality Assurance Activities: Experience from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Abstract

Student engagement in quality assurance (QA) is vital for the success of any educational programme. Student feedback plays a crucial role in this. To gather feedback from students, the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka utilizes surveys such as student satisfaction, module evaluation, student evaluation of teachers and tracer studies. In this article experience of FMS on implementation of Student Satisfaction Surveys (SSS) to foster student engagement in QA is described using findings from six SSS conducted across the three phases of the MBBS programme. The survey questionnaire is designed as a Google form with a 5-point Likert scale covering aspects related to teaching and learning as well as facilities provided. This survey is conducted at the end of each academic phase within the MBBS programme. Findings are analysed and the remedial measures are discussed and implemented to enhance the learning experience. Mean scores were compared using independent sample t test to see the change in satisfaction. Level of significance was considered as p<0.05. Mean scores in learning and teaching activities in Phase I, II and III has increased to 3.89, 3.82, and 3.96 from 3.84, 3.50 and 3.90 respectively. In addition, the mean satisfactory score on facilities provided demonstrated an increase from 3.50 to 3.77 in Phase II and from 3.54 to 3.60 in Phase III. Significant increase in satisfaction was observed in Phase II for both learning and teaching activities (p=0.002) and facilities provided (p=0.001). These findings reveal variations in satisfaction levels concerning learning and teaching activities and the facilities provided across the three academic phases. There has been an increase in overall satisfaction, during the year 2022-2023 compared to the previous year 2021-2022.