Evaluating Educational Programs of Traditional Medicine Based on the Students' Viewpoints in Mashhad, Kerman, and Shahid Beheshti Universities of Medical Sciences, Iran

Background & Objective: The evaluation of educational programs is the most important aspect of any educational system. If performed correctly, it will provide valuable information on designing and implementation of educational programs and a basis for the evaluation of educational practices. Methods: This present study was performed in ۲۰۱۴ on ۲۲ PhD students attending the Schools of Traditional  Medicine  of  Mashhad,  Kerman,  and  Shahid  Beheshti  Universities  of  Medical Sciences, Iran, in ۲۰۰۹-۲۰۱۳. The data collection tool consisted of a questionnaire containing open- and closed-ended questions. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire have been approved. The quantitative data obtained were analyzed and categorized using Microsoft Excel. Results: The general objectives of traditional pharmacy consist of mission, perspective, goals, and professional duties. Each course was evaluated from the view point of students. This showed that more than half of the students agreed on the overviews and details (general objective,  prerequisites,  content  titles,  student  evaluation,  and  educational  sources).  The educational  sources  of  some  courses  such  as  Iranian  Traditional  Medicine  (foundations  and principles) with ۴۳.۹%, Sanitation and Prevention Principles with ۳۳%, and Identification of Raw Material and Production of Traditional Medicine with ۳۶.۸% obtained the less than half of the positive votes of students. Moreover, ۴۲.۱% of students believed that the courses of Identification of Raw Material, Production of Traditional Medicine, and Identification of Traditional Medicine Forms were not presented in accordance with the educational program. Conclusion: The participants mostly approved the aims and overviews of this field of study each of its courses. The proposed recommendations show that the units and content of some courses, and their educational sources and priorities require revision and reformation. In general, due to being a new field, traditional medicine contains ambiguities which must be clarified through further evaluation and elimination of deficiencies observed in the current survey.

Keywords:

Program evaluation , Iranian traditional medicine , PhD students