Undergraduate Clinical Education Environment Measure (UCEEM) of a dental program in Jouf University and Qassim University: A bi-institutional study.

Abstract

Background: There has been a growing interest in defining the educational environment in medical and dental institutes that includes different measures to rate and improve it. Evidence suggests that the educational environment directly impacts teaching, learning, well-being, and students' involvement and their successful professional performance. The Undergraduate Clinical Education Environment Measure (UCEEM) is widely used in medical and allied health sciences institutions to evaluate students' perceptions of their clinical learning environment.

Objectives: This study aimed to characterize and contrast how students in two Saudi Arabian dental institutes' bachelor's degree programs perceive their clinical learning environment, to assess how the academic year influences the student behavior and perception as well as find out the strengths and weaknesses of each of the five domains of the questionnaire used in this study.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study that was conducted from 15^th October 2023 till 15^th December 2023. Students from two Saudi Arabian colleges - College of Dentistry, Jouf University, and College of Dentistry, Qassim University who met the selection criteria were included in the study using the convenience-sampling method. A 38-item modified UCEEM questionnaire, piloted and tested for reliability and internal consistency, consists of 38 items congregated into five overarching dimensions and was mailed to the third-, fourth- and fifth-year UG students and interns of College of Dentistry, Jouf University, and Qassim University. The modified version was developed through quantitative data from various core groups, comprehensive dialogues with students, and the clinical committees of both colleges. Mann Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed.

Results: The survey achieved a response rate of 69.0%. Among the respondents, there were 85 (57.8%) males and 62 (42.2%) females, aged between 23 and 32 years. The mean total score for all students was 138.45. Notably, students from Qassim University gave significantly higher scores than the students of Jouf University (p = 0.01). Furthermore, students from Qassim University provided higher ratings for most of the overarching dimensions of experiential learning as compared to the students of Jouf University.

Conclusion: The significant differences between universities highlight the need for tailored interventions to improve the quality of clinical education, particularly in areas related to supervision and experiential learning. We recommend implementing continuing education programs for supervisors to enhance their pedagogical competencies in overseeing students' clinical practice.