Comparison of Academic Achievement and Educational Environment of Basic Sciences Phase of MD Program in Tehran University of Medical Sciences, before and after Curricular Reform

Introduction: Curriculum reform of MD program in Tehran University of Medical Sciences involves fundamental changes in many aspects of the program. Three years after implementation of the new curriculum, evaluation of program outcomes is necessary. The aim of this study was to compare academic achievement and educational environment of basic sciences phase of the previous curriculum with those of the revised curriculum. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the average score of basic sciences courses for all medical students accepted to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2011 and previous three years (2008-10) was extracted. The results of the 44th, 46th, 48th and 50th basic sciences comprehensive exams, including university rank and the standard score were analyzed. DREEM questionnaire was used to assess the educational environment which was completed by students admitted in 2010 and 2011 at the end of basic sciences phase. The data were analyzed by means of ANOVA, Chi-Square and t-test. Results: The total number of medical students from 2008 to 2011 was 1032, of whom 589 students (57%) were female. The difference between the basic sciences average score, number of probationary and failed semesters over the years was not statistically significant. Based on the results of comprehensive exams, the university ranked third in 2008 and first in three subsequent years. University’s standard scores in all comprehensive exams were 0.61, 0.96, 0.85 and 0.94 respectively. The DREEM questionnaire scores were 91.5±0.46 and 93.5±0.41 (out of 200) respectively before and after the reform. This difference and differences between scores of questionnaire’s five areas were significant for the two groups. Conclusion: Although slight improvements could be seen in most of the assessed outcomes after the reform, they are not statistically significant. This could be attributed to near-perfect performance of the university in previous years or to the short interval between the intervention and outcome evaluation and therefore, concerns about academic failure following the curriculum reform do not seem to be valid. Regular monitoring of the outcomes is necessary for assessing long-term effectiveness of the curriculum reform.