Individual and institutional influencing factors on completion rates in a medical education master’s program in Germany

A Thesis Requirement of the Integrated Learning Experience: Time-to-Graduation and Student Satisfaction in an Online Master of Public Health Program

“…There are many implications to these findings. First, the investment in the 2015 Program curricular changes, supported by several studies (Coruth et al, 2019;Heide et al, 2019;Skeith et al, 2018;Viđak et al, 2017;Waheed et al, 2020), seemed to be associated with a reduced time-to-graduation for an increased percentage of students in 2015 and later cohorts, compared to prior cohorts. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, MPH programs worldwide may be evaluating whether to add or strengthen their online trainings and may seek strategies to increase the likelihood of an on-time graduation for online students.…”

“…In their open-ended responses, students supported this hypothesis as represented by main motivator theme of ongoing faculty support from the ILE Thesis Advisors. This one-on-one advising by an ILE Thesis Advisor, prior to engagement with a thesis committee, has been highlighted as a best practice by other reports (Bruce et al, 2008;Heide et al, 2019;Skeith et al, 2018). However, this additional program support introduced for Epidemiology thesis students, including a dedicated ILE Advisor, did not result in significant increases in on-time graduation rates for Epidemiology thesis students.…”

“…A second reason may be that, since 2015, the added Program communication and trainings (Table 1) may have clarified expectations and provided resources that increased the likelihood of on-time graduation. Program support has been cited by many authors as important in helping students complete theses or publications derived from theses (Bruce et al, 2008;Heide et al, 2019;Viđak et al, 2017;Waheed et al, 2020). Further, many students in the 2015-2017 cohorts reported feeling supported by specific thesis support elements including: a helpful Thesis class, available tools, resources and formal guidance, and the ILE Advisors, who were helpful with the thesis process.…”

Quality assurance and curricular development of medical faculties using graduate surveys: Challenges – proposal of a core questionnaire – implementation guide

“… The use of programs to qualify medical teachers in the German-speaking countries [ 12 ], [ 13 ] and the newly established professorships for medical education at the universities create the conditions under which the number of research projects to improve education can be increased. As a consequence, more questions about basic aspects of curriculum development can be investigated scientifically, as can the inputs, the teaching and learning processes, and the outcomes of education.…”

Characteristics and motivational factors of candidates applying to the Master in Health Professions Education (MHPE) program

“…Despite the numerous programs in medical education that have emerged globally and the heightened demand of medical education experts, no published literature could be found analyzing the characteristics of applicants of MHPE. Studies have been conducted to determine aspects of MHPE programs, including course information on institutional websites, 14 tuition costs, 15 and factors influencing completion rates, 16 but the demographics of MHPE applicants and factors that motivate applicants to pursue this program have not been explored. Without these data, it is difficult to determine the level of interest individuals have in pursuing HPE and the impact they will subsequently create in this domain.…”