Implementation of Problem-based Learning Curriculum in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Abstract

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), chose to adopt Problem-based Learning curriculum since its inception in 1993 but retained a small proportion of formal lectures, especially in Phase I (so called pre-clinical phase), of its teaching programme. The faculty adopted a number of strategic plants to encourage a successful implementation of this curriculum, such as: programmes for staff development and students orientation; provision of dedicated PBL rooms; easy access to computer, Internet and published teaching/learning materials; careful formulation of triggers/problems and preparation of guide books for tutors; provision of museum and laboratories for practical demonstration, including clinical skill laboratory, etc. Also, the tools for student assessment were devised to concur with the teaching methods. On assessment after 5 years of its implementation, it appeared that in Phase I the teaching programme has somewhat deviated from the original PBL curriculum to a “hybrid” curriculum. With passage of time, the number of lectures increased and time for self-directed learning decreased. It was observed that some of the PBL sessions have been converted to mini lecture sessions. The possible reasons include in inadequate training of teaching staff who have been mainly trained in the traditional system and are either unfamiliar with the PBL curriculum or are not fully “converted” to PBL approach and lack of monitoring. These problems are likely to be resolved as further efforts are being made to train the staff (organizing workshops and preparation of guidebooks to familiarize the tutors with the concept of PBL curriculum). The plan to move the faculty to new premise in very near future would further help to overcome the problems of space and facilities.