Importance and process of feedback in undergraduate medical education in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Feedback is an essential element in the process of students' learning and development. This study aimed to explore the views of medical students regarding the importance and process of feedback in their medical education. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted in our college of medicine. The questionnaire included questions to assess the students' views about the importance and the need of feedback in the learning process and whether feed-back should follow certain or all forms of assessment. In addition, the questionnaire contained questions that aimed to explore students' views about the contents and process of feedback. One hundred and eighty-six male medical students participated in this study. While the majority of students (85%) indicated that feedback was important for their learning and expressed their need for regular feedback during their study, only about 20% of them indicated receiving regular feed-back. Senior students perceived that they received feedback less frequently than their junior colleagues' (P <0.05). The majority of the participants expressed their interest into receiving an immediate feedback after their summative and formative assessment. Students think that feedback should be balanced and include a suggested plan for their future learning process. Senior students showed a higher preference to have feedback that also contained points related to their strengths more than juniors. Students also indicated their preference to have one-to-one and written feed-back more than feedback that was conveyed in groups and verbally. These issues are of high importance and should be considered for planning and implementing an effective feedback system.

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