METHODS: Staff involved in student support from three medical schools were invited to participate in five workshops facilitated by an Australian educator. Video discussion triggers of students presenting with concerns were used in workshop activities, including written exercises, group discussions and reflection. The quantitative and qualitative data collected included categorical and free-text participant responses to questionnaires and structured field notes from local faculty developers using peer observation.
FINDINGS: Academic and clinician-teacher participants predominated in the workshops. Of 66 participant questionnaires (92% response rate), over 90% agreed that the workshop was relevant, and over 95% agreed that the videos facilitated discussion and the sharing of experiences. Field notes confirmed that participants were engaged by the videos, but identified that one student scenario and the approaches for seeking support in others were not immediately transferable to local contexts. The adaptation of facilitation techniques used in Australian workshops was needed to address audience responses.
DISCUSSION: Our findings confirm faculty development principles of content relevancy and incorporation of reflection. To enhance transferability, we recommend co-facilitation with local faculty members, the explicit signposting of topics and re-contextualising key concepts through reflective discussion.
METHODS: Information was obtained from published records, responses from various questionnaires, personal communication and involvement with curricular development.
RESULTS: Curricular innovations tended to be implemented in new medical schools upon their establishment. Established medical schools seemed to implement these innovations much later. Curricular trends appear to move towards integration, student-centred and problem-based learning as well as community-oriented medical education, with the Student-centred learning, Problem-based learning, Integrated teaching, Community-based education, Electives and Systematic programme (SPICES) model used as a reference. The focus is based on the premise that although the short-term aim of undergraduate medical education in Malaysia is to prepare graduates for the pre-registration house officer year, they must be able to practise and make decisions independently and be sensitive to the needs of the country's multiracial, multi-religious, and often remote communities.
CONCLUSION: In most cases, curricular planning starts with a prescriptive model where planners focus on several intended outcomes. However, as the plan is implemented and evaluated it becomes descriptive as the planners reassess the internal and external factors that affect outcomes. A common trend in community-oriented educational activities is evident, with the introduction of interesting variations, to ensure that the curriculum can be implemented, sustained and the intended outcomes achieved.
METHODS: The initial 11-factor and 132-item AEEMI was distributed to 1930 pre-clinical and clinical year medical students from 11 medical schools in Malaysia. The study examined the construct validity of the AEEMI using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.
RESULTS: The best-fit model of AEEMI was achieved using 5 factors and 26 items (χ 2 = 3300.71 (df = 1680), P