Curriculum alignment: An evaluation of the major determinants at the college of health sciences university of Port Harcourt

Abstract

Background: World over, interest for extremely qualified contemporary-healthcare experts has expanded (Abdullah et al, 2017). However, alignment of the medical training curriculum is as yet not sufficiently achieved in many training establishments .Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the major determinants of constructive alignment of the MBBS curriculum at the College of Health Sciences, University of Port-Harcourt. Methods: Mixed method design involving focus group discussions and questionnaire survey was used. Sample size of 423 was calculated. A structured questionnaire adapted from the stufflebeam evaluation and the National University Commission benchmark accreditation checklist were given to 423 respondents made up of learners and facilitators in the MBBS programme using a purposive sampling method. The collected data were thematically and systematically analyzed. Results: From the study, all listed items were perceived as very much a determinant as they all scored above 60 %. They include among many others Qualification of the facilitators, Duration of employment of facilitators, Length of time allocated for the entire MBBS programme, Size of the class, Resources to run the curriculum, Knowledge base of the facilitators, Knowledge base of the learners, Instructional/ teaching methods, Time allotted for each lectures, Application of Blooms taxonomy, However, Duration of employment of facilitators, Size of the class, Time allotted for each lectures, Application of Blooms taxonomy, Application of concept of Blue-printing, Degree of alignment with vision, mission and philosophy of programme, Focus on Programme Learning Outcomes (PLO), Alignment between Course Learning Outcome (CLO) and PLO, scored below 80%. Conclusion: The findings from this study show that for an implemented curriculum to be constructive aligned, basic facilities, required resources, processes and practices must be taken into consideration