Evaluating student experiences of medical education in the Joint Medical Programme: A case study of a unique dual university programme

Abstract

Establishing a medical education programme in which the students are shared between two universities and regarded as a single cohort is only one complexity of an initiative begun in regional Australia in 2008. The University of Newcastle in New South Wales, which has a problem-based learning medical programme of considerable repute, partnered with the University of New England with a view to increasing understanding of rural perspectives and prompting more graduates to remain in rural locations. Assuring the quality of student outcomes was a high priority, requiring innovative approaches to devise appropriate program evaluation measures designed specifically to accommodate the unique features of the Joint Medical Programme. This chapter details the initial trials of purpose-designed in struments and methodologies and makes an initial valuation of their efficacy.