Department of Dental Medicine, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia.
Med Educ. 2010 Apr;44(4):387-95. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2010.03621.x.
Elective courses are a significant part of undergraduate medical education throughout the world, but the value provided by these courses and the reasons for choosing particular elective courses have not been studied extensively.
The aim of this study was to investigate medical and dental students' experiences of elective courses in undergraduate medical education in Croatia and to gather students' recommendations for the improvement of elective courses.
Medical and dental students studying under the Bologna curriculum were given a questionnaire in which they were asked for their opinions of elective courses and their suggestions as to how they might be improved. Data on elective courses were obtained from medical schools' administrative offices.
The survey response rate was 92% (834/903). Medical students gave elective courses an average grade of 3.44 out of 5, whereas dental students gave a lower average of 3.15. Students' suggestions for change included introducing more practical work and recognising international student exchanges and attendance at conferences as elective options. A third of students indicated that teachers should be given additional training in leading elective courses. Analysis of the curriculum showed that elective courses in Croatian medical schools are very heterogeneous in terms of their content and the number of credits and assessment methods they involve, and are very conservative in that only structured courses are offered. Students cannot design their own courses or take more elective courses than represent 10% of their total number of credits.
Student opinion should be consulted when medical schools venture into the elective curriculum so that students can feel that they are really benefiting from these subjects. Students would welcome new and personally designed strands. Elective courses are a significant part of medical education and therefore their quality and purpose need to be assessed regularly in order to ensure that they meet students' needs.
在全球范围内，选修课程是本科医学教育的重要组成部分，但这些课程提供的价值以及选择特定选修课程的原因尚未得到广泛研究。
本研究旨在调查克罗地亚本科医学教育中医学生和牙科学的学生对选修课程的体验，并收集学生对改进选修课程的建议。
采用问卷调查的方式，向正在学习博洛尼亚课程的医学生和牙科学的学生询问他们对选修课程的看法，以及他们对如何改进选修课程的建议。从医学院的行政办公室获取选修课程的数据。
调查的回复率为 92%（834/903）。医学生对选修课程的平均评分为 3.44 分（满分 5 分），而牙科学的学生的平均评分为 3.15 分。学生建议的改变包括增加更多实践工作，以及承认国际学生交流和参加会议作为选修选项。三分之一的学生表示，应该为教师提供额外的选修课程领导培训。对课程的分析表明，克罗地亚医学院的选修课程在内容、涉及的学分和评估方法数量方面非常多样化，而且非常保守，只提供结构化课程。学生不能设计自己的课程，也不能选修超过总学分的 10%的选修课程。
医学院在涉足选修课程时应征求学生的意见，以使学生感到他们确实从这些科目中受益。学生将欢迎新的和个性化的课程。选修课程是医学教育的重要组成部分，因此需要定期评估其质量和目的，以确保满足学生的需求。
