How to Get Students Actively Involved in Course Development: An Experience in Developing and Implementing a Mentoring Program for Medical Students / 한국의학교육

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aims to explore development of a student-centered mentoring program and assess satisfaction about the course in order to improve system of the course on the basis of our implementation experience. METHODS: The course was designed for 58 third-year medical students in 2012. A student council acted as the core management team. We evaluate assessment about the course with a 50-item questionnaire administered on a 5-point Likert scale using SPSS version 20.0, and a short-answer form asked students, faculty, and lecturers for their opinions on the course. RESULTS: Students felt that 'Attitude on health care policies (28.6%)' was the most useful lecture. The 'Meeting with a patient' session was useful for developing students' abilities to empathize and communicate with other people (81.1%). The 50.9% of students were very satisfied with the course, as well as with the form of the course (49.2%). CONCLUSION: A bold action that medical educators can take is to get students involved from the outset of the curriculum development. Allowing students to become actively involved in developing the program is an effective means of hearing them and providing a more meaningful learning experience.