Evaluation of students' experience with Problem-based Learning (PBL) applied at the College of Medicine, Al-Jouf University, Saudi Arabia

Objective: To evaluate the students' experience with problem-based learning. Methods: This cross-sectional, qualitative study was conducted at the College of Medicine, Al Jouf University, Sakakah, Saudi Arabia, in October 2015, and comprised medical students of the 1st to 5th levels. Interviews were conducted using Students' Course Experience Questionnaire. The questionnaire contained 37 questions covering six evaluative categories: appropriate assessment, appropriate workload, clear goals and standards, generic skills, good teaching, and overall satisfaction. The questionnaire follows the Likert's scale model. Mean values were interpreted as: >2.5 = at least disagree, 2.5->3 = neither/nor (uncertain), and 3 or more = at least agree. Results: Of the 170 respondents, 72(42.7%) agreed that there was an appropriate assessment accompanied with the problem-based learning. Also, 107(63.13%) students agreed that there was a heavy workload on them. The goal and standards of the course were clear for 71(42.35%) students, 104(61.3%) agreed that problem-based learning improved their generic skills, 65(38.07%) agreed the teaching was good and 82(48.08%) students showed overall satisfaction. Conclusion: The students were satisfied with their experience with the problem-based learning.