Perception of Problem Based Learning by UNIMAS medical undergraduates and graduates

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), adopts problembased learning (PBL) and lectures as the hybrid teaching-learning approach in the MD (Doctor of Medicine) programme. There are many batches of graduates now in clinical practice and many undergraduates yet completing their final years. Responses from the graduates of the years 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003, altogether 113, and the undergraduates (final year students) sitting for the Final Professional Examinations in 2001 to 2006, altogether 314, (total of 427), were studied.

Obtained ratings on three aspects of PBL, namely organization and conduct, triggers, and the overall rating and results were analysed. Significant outcomes were, the comparisons in the ratings between graduates and undergraduates with regards to PBL triggers and the overall PBL rating. Results show that students’ perception of good in earlier years tends towards adequate in recent years, with the reasonably valid concern of very poor and completely inadequate perceptions by a percentage of the 2006 final year students.