Assessment of significant variables to improve admission and teaching learning processes in a medical school.

Abstract

Introduction: Current selection methods in medical schools emphasize academic competence only, somewhat to the detriment of other essential competencies. Academic grades are frequently considered as the predictors of good academic performance in medical schools and therefore many medical schools still select applicants predominantly on this basis.

Objective: To assess this long-standing trend in order to point out the lacunae associated with it and to explore this effect with a view to improve teaching and learning process.

Methodology: During this retrospective longitudinal study, we studied the students (n=539) admitted to the college of medicine, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia, between 2006 and 2011. During these years study conditions (i.e. admission procedure, study program and assessment) remained unchanged. The scores of higher school certificate (HSC) were correlated with study duration (number of semesters) and grade point average (GPA). Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis were carried out using effect model.

Results: The results of this study do not demonstrate a correlation between HSC scores and study duration (r = -.018). The relationship bet ween HSC scores and cumulative GPA was moderate positive (r = .476). The HSC scores were found to be poor predictors of the subsequent academic performance (R² = .273).

Conclusions: The HSC score is a poor predictor of the subsequent academic performance. Our intuition, and perhaps our experience, suggests that study time should be positively associated with grades. However, it is not always the case as study duration-grade association may not be true.

Keywords: School admission criteria, Medical education, Students, Undergraduate.