Evaluation of a Family Study Programme using a Competency-Based Framework in a Medical College of Delhi

Introduction: Diminishing Covid-19 disruptions required hurried and less well planned juxtaposition of the existing family study programme with the new competency-based curriculum for second-year medical students in Community Medicine. We evaluated the family study programme to identify its alignment with the Competency-based curriculum and the facilitators and barriers of this teaching programme.
Methodology: A mixed-methods study was conducted between March and May 2022 in the Department of Community Medicine in a medical college in North India. The Core Components Framework was used to assess the alignment of family study programmes with the Competency-based curriculum. Data collection was done using in-depth interviews and online feedback forms.
Results: It was found that teaching related to 50% of the specific learning objectives was achieved by the end of the teaching programme. Mostly knowledge-based questions were asked during assessment and no framework was used for the assessment. Interactive modes of learning and demonstrations were reported to be facilitators, whereas monotony of the teaching method and lack of certain learning aids were reported as barriers to learning. It was found that assessors could not identify the sequential progress of the specific learning objectives.
Conclusion: Even though the teaching related to the specific learning objectives was partially fulfilled, the assessment was not aligned with the expected outcomes. There is a need to develop milestones in the competency-based family study programme.