Evaluation of the postgraduate course “Medical Research Methodology” of the Aristotle University Medical School, 5 years after its launching

Introduction: Evaluation in education is used as a necessary procedure in order to readdress educational policy in curriculum, teaching, learning or examinations.Aims: The aim of this paper is to describe and critically analyse the evaluation process of the postgraduate course “Medical Research Methodology” of the Aristotle University Medical School, 5 years after its launching.Population: All students (190) who attended the postgraduate medical program of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki from 2004 to 2008.Method: Students were asked to rate diverse characteristics of the program on a five grade scale. According to the above mentioned aims, an on-line questionnaire was designed, piloted and implemented containing 41 close-ending and 2 openending questions.Results: Subjects regarding the aims and the final assessment of the course were graded with the highest scores. In contrast, the essays given, the students’ belief on skills gained, the clarity of the principles and techniques, as well as the quality of the supporting material, achieved lower scoring. The variability of the grades indicates that there is enough space for important improvements.Conclusion: The successful implementation of an evaluation system of a postgraduate program is producing important information and evidence for its continuous improvement