Intellectual Property Rights: Open Access

Abstract

Evaluation of the Joint Master of Health Professions Education: A Distance Learning Program between Suez Canal University, Egypt, and Maastricht University, The Netherlands

Talaat W, Van Dalen J, Hamam A, Khamis N and Asmaa Abd El Nasser

Objectives: To evaluate the implementation of the Joint Master of Health Professions Education (JMHPE) as a distance learning program as regards the e-learning process, the educational resources, the administrative process and the educational units of the JMHPE from the students’, graduates’ and faculty point of view.
Subjects and methods: A descriptive study was held to evaluate the JMHPE program (Process-Based, formative program evaluation). The target groups were all graduates of the Joint Master of Health Professions Education (71 graduates), fifth round students (82 students) and all planners and co-planners of the program (9 faculty). Two methods for data collection were used in this study, self administered questionnaires for the graduates, students and the Faculty, and review the JMHPE documents.
Results: Through the target groups’ perspectives and documents review, the study resulted in an agreement among the majority of the JMHPE graduates and students who rated the program as “very good” or “excellent” as regards its relevance to their professions, meeting their expectations, being a challenging, professional distance learning program, meeting its educational objectives, its organization suitability, suitability of its duration to cover educational activities, in addition to its impact on increase in their knowledge in health professions education and acquitization of distance learning skills.
Enhancing capacity building and career development in Health Professions Education at all levels (national, regional, and international) was the most agreed upon point of strength (95% of graduates and 85% of students).
All of the graduates (100%) and the majority of the students (87.5%) mentioned their satisfaction from the JMHPE program as a whole, so all the graduates (100%) and the majority of the students (90%) would recommend it to their colleagues.
Dependence, reluctance and lack of commitment among some of the group members was the most agreed upon points of weakness (53% of the graduates and 87.5% of the students).
Conclusion: The Joint Masters of Health Professions Education is meeting its goals and objectives. Its theory is designed to achieve the intended outcomes and its operations make the theory effective. Being a distance learning program was an advantage for many of the program participants and facilitated their learning to a great extent. Most of the program participants were satisfied with the program and most of them also stated that they recommended the program to their peers.