Scholarly Article
Assessment of Undergraduate Medical Students' Feedback on Pharmacology Teaching Patterns in Baghdad, Iraq
Alnajar, Maha
2025-07-09 · Attahadi Medical Journal · Attahadi University
Abstract
Pharmacology is both a foundational and applied science, essential for the development of rational therapeutic strategies. Effective pharmacology education requires continual updates to teaching and assessment methods, with student feedback playing a critical role in guiding these improvements. This study aimed to evaluate students' perspectives on current teaching and evaluation practices in pharmacology. Conducted in January 2025, this cross-sectional study surveyed 634 students from the medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy disciplines using a validated questionnaire based on the Likert Scale. Data analysis included median scores and percentage distributions across various questionnaire items. Key findings reveal that participant age was 20, with 53.8% representing this modal age group, and females making up 71.8% of the sample. More than half of the students (54%) reported preferring multiple methods for studying pharmacology. A significant portion (57.7%) supported introducing pharmacology instruction in the third year of study. Students favored more problem-solving activities (47%) over traditional lectures and highlighted the importance of receiving handouts in advance (62.1%) to better prepare for classes. A majority (58.2%) endorsed the use of problem-based learning and prescription writing to improve clinical relevance. Regarding assessment methods, 29.4% preferred a mix of MCQs, written, and oral evaluations 50% of respondents acknowledged the value of correlating drug knowledge with disease conditions, especially when taught alongside clinical subjects. Finally, 61% recommended introducing key pharmacology topics in the pre-final or final academic years. Overall, the findings provide valuable insights into how students perceive pharmacology education and suggest areas for curricular enhancement to improve learning outcomes
Keywords
Pharmacology, Likert Scale, Questionnaire, Teaching Patterns, Undergraduate Students.
Citation Details
Attahadi Medical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 206-210