Implementation of Problem-Based Learning in Undergraduate Medical Education in Ethiopia: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background:The poor quality of health professional education in Ethiopia, which was rooted in a traditional curriculum, has posed significant challenges for graduates in effectively addressing real-life health problems. In response, there has been curricular reform by adopting problem-based learning across Ethiopian medical schools. Given the dearth of literature on the topic and the significance of context in the effective implementation of problem-based learning, it is imperative to provide local institutional evidence to pinpoint critical intervention areas and support the effective implementation of problem-based learning. Methods: A qualitative design based on in-depth, individual, semi-structured interviews was used to explore medical educators, program coordinators, and educational leader's experiences and perspectives on the problem-based learning implementation in health sciences education. A total of 24 participants recruited from five undergraduate health science programs participated in the study. All sessions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Results were analyzed following a qualitative thematic analysis method. Results: Analysis of the transcripts revealed three main themes, along with their corresponding subthemes. Within the first main theme, participants discussed the importance of integrating Problem-Based Learning into undergraduate medical programs and the educational benefits it brings to medical education. The second main theme explored issues related to challenges in implementing problem-based learning which include inadequate staff training, deficiencies in curricular design and governance, constraints in educational resources, and a lack of preparedness in the educational environment. The third theme deals with the strategic recommendations to address the challenges that contributed to the poor implementation of problem-based learning in undergraduate medical schools. Conclusion: Our study has addressed several issues related to the implementation of Problem-Based Learning in Ethiopian Health Sciences Colleges. The study's findings have the potential to provide educational stakeholders and policymakers with essential information to strategize successful problem-based learning implementation in undergraduate medical schools.

Peningkatan Motivasi Belajar Peserta Didik SMKS Bina Maritim Maumere melalui Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Problem Based Learning

“…Motivasi belajar merupakan dorongan yang timbul dari internal siswa untuk belajar guna mencapai tujuan pembelajaran yang diinginkan (Ding, 2024;Divito, 2024;Marcinauskas, 2024;Mohammed, 2024;Zhang, 2024). Uno (Arif, 2023) mengemukakan bahwa hakekat motivasi belajar adalah dorongan internal dan eksternal pada siswa-siswa yang sedang belajar untuk "berubah" berlandaskan beberapa indikator pengukur ketercapaian.…”

The Practice and Exploration of Applying EBM to Bilingual Teaching of Medical Genetics at OSBCM

“…Therefore, the passive massive transient memory of knowledge by students not only made it difficult to stimulate students' interest in learning, but also seriously affected the cultivation of students' independent innovation ability. Whereas, Problem Based Learning (PBL) alone, which focuses on students' problem solving, stimulates students' enthusiasm and tends to cultivate students' self-directed learning ability, but it may be constrained by students' low English proficiency and incomplete literature search, which may affect the actual effect [5]. Although case-based learning (CBL) alone focuses on students' analysis of cases and stimulates students' interest and tends to cultivate students' clinical thinking ability [6], it may also be limited by students' low English proficiency and incomplete search results, which affects precision medicine.…”