Evaluation of undergraduate medical programs in Algeria.

Introduction. The overhaul of the first cycle of medical graduation studies in Algeria began in 2018. The programs of this overhaul provided for, in addition to curricular changes, content, teaching, and assessment methods. Our aim is to evaluate the new curriculum for the first cycle of medical studies at the Faculty of Medicine of Batna 2 University in Algeria. Materials and methods. This was a quantitative study. The evaluation protocol of the Conférence internationale des Doyens et des Facultés de Médecine d'Expression Française (CIDMEF) was contextualized for the process of evaluating undergraduate medical curricula. This study involved both students and teachers. The evaluation covered organization, content, timetable, objectives, teaching methods, and assessment methods. The questionnaires were prepared using Google Forms and distributed online. The variables were scored using a Lickert scale from 1 to 5. Anonymity was respected. Results. Out of 1893 students enrolled in the first, second, and third years of medicine, 878 completed the questionnaires, with a participation rate of 46.38%. The general objectives of the programs were achieved with mean scores of 2.40 ±0.054 for the students and 3.81 ±0.148 for the teachers. The timetable for most subjects was respected. Lecturing proved to be the dominant method of theoretical teaching, to the benefit of active contextual learning (distance learning, work placements, simulation, etc.), which remained underdeveloped. MCQs were considered to be the most suitable assessment method for students (3.52 ±0.067) and even less so for teachers (2.82 ±0.242). Conclusion. Evaluation of the undergraduate medical curriculum has revealed positive elements that need to be consolidated and weaknesses that need to be remedied.