Comparing the educational environment (as measured by DREEM) at two different stages of curriculum reform

Abstract

Background: The medical programme at Lund University, Sweden, has undergone curricular reform over several stages, which is still ongoing. Students have been somewhat negative in their evaluations of the education during this time.

Aim: To find out how the students perceived the educational climate using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM), and to compare the findings taken at two given points in time.

Method: The DREEM instrument was distributed in semesters 2, 6 and 10 in 2003 and 2005, to a total of 503 students.

Results: The students rated their climate as positive. The total DREEM score (145) was somewhat higher than other published results and in the same range as for other reformed curricula. There was hardly any difference between the genders in their perceptions of the climate. Certain items were rated low and became subject of development between the measurements. These items concerned a perceived lack of a support system for stressed students and a lack of feedback and constructive criticism from teachers. Some improvement was detected in 2005.

Conclusion: The educational climate was high in a reformed curriculum and could be maintained high during on-going curricular reform. Educational development resulted in better results on some items.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gudrun Edgren

Gudrun Edgren, PhD, MMedEd, is a senior lecturer and head of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the Faculty of Medicine, Lund University. At the centre, she teaches on courses and workshops in medical education and takes part in evaluations and research projects in education.

Ann-Christin Haffling

Ann-Christin Haffling, MD, a general practitioner, working halftime as a university teacher, at the time of the study responsible for the organization of the programme in Community Medicine and of the 10th semester in medical programme, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University.

Ulf Jakobsson

Ulf Jakobsson, PhD, is a senior lecturer, the Faculty of Medicine, Lund University. He is a teacher in research methodology and statistics at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in nursing at the Faculty of Medicine, Lund University.

Sean Mcaleer

Sean Mcaleer, BSc, DPhil, is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Medical Education, University of Dundee.

Nils Danielsen

Nils Danielsen, MD, PhD, is a senior lecturer and is the chairman for the Committee for Biomedical, Medical and Public Health Education, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University. This committee makes all strategic decisions related to teaching including financing. ND teaches anatomy and is enrolled as a tutor in PBL.