Evaluation of Competency Based Medical Education Curriculum

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in competency based medical education (CBME) due to the developments and changes in medical education and many medical schools have begun to apply it recently. Although its popularity in both practice and theoretical studies, there is a lack of studies focusing on evaluation of CBME curriculum. In that study, it is aimed to evaluate competency based medical education curriculum. This qualitative study is designed as a case study. It is also a curriculum evaluation study carried out systematically via Stufflebeam’s CIPP model. The study group consisted of fifteen faculty members and fifty students of a medical school in Turkey. The data was collected via semi-structured interview forms and analysed applying content analysis. Some of the important results reached in that study are the followings: The students have had mostly negative ideas about the competencies and the teaching-learning process while the faculty members have been satisfied with their practices. Both the students and the faculty members thought the CBME contributed to students’ academic and vocational developments. It is concluded that in order for CBME to provide the opportunities in medical education context, it needs to be developed, implemented and then evaluated in the frame of theoretical backgrounds and principals. Otherwise, because of the problems/deficiency in the development and implementation process, the efforts might end in vain. In the light of the results, it can be suggested that the faculty members should be supported on how to determine/write the competencies and the content; on effective teaching/learning methods. Also, CBME should be evaluated and revised regularly involving the faculty members and the students in the process.