NEEDS ANALYSIS REPORT
The needs analysis report is based on the needs analysis questionnaire administered to students of MD6
class of Bridgetown International University School of Medicine. The questionnaire and the analysis
helps the institution to become proactive in dealing with the gaps( in knowledge, attitude, skills) existing
among students as they get trained to become efficient doctors contributing to health of an individual,
family, nation and world at large.
The questionnaire had the following components
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Motivation
Content areas
Vark analysis
Learning Strategies
Student’s Personal attributes
Trainer’s attributes
A total of 5 students who attended IMMUNOLOGY course in MD4 and currently in MD6 were asked to
fill the questionnaire and presented below is the analysis report
In response to the needs questionnaire about immunology course as part of MD curriculum, the First
question posed was to understand how motivated the students felt in attending the immunology session
classes. 3 = Most Important, 2- Important, 1 = Least Important, 0- not important
A1. Out of 5 students the most important motivation to attend seem to be for the following reasons
with 60% marking rating 3 for the following statements(e,f.g) with 1 person(20%)giving a rating of 2
for e, and 1 person(20%) giving a rating of 2 for question f:
e. It helps to understand in depth how the body's defense system functions and treat patients
with immune system disorders
f. To understand and educate patients on how globalization has impacted our immune system
(pollutants, medications, nutrition, stress etc.)
g. To understand emergence of epidemics/pandemics
A2. Important for the following reasons -80% giving a rating 2 for the following statements with
one(20%) person giving a rating of 0 for d.
b.
c.
d.
It is a part of the basic science curriculum
In preparation for USMLE or other graduating exam
I want to become an immunologist/oncologist/microbiologist
A3. Least important for the following reasons- 40% giving a rating of 1 for the following statements (a
and h) with 2( 40%) giving a rating of 2 for a. 1(20%) giving a rating of 3 for a. 2 (40%)giving a rating of 2
for h. 1(20%) giving a rating of 1 for h.
a. It is one of my favorite courses
h. Interested in research and developing the next immunotherapeutic intervention
A4. Not important for the following reasons. 40% marking 0 for the following statement, 40%
marking 2, and 20% marking 1
d.
I want to become an immunologist/oncologist/microbiologist
Overall the motivation seems to be high among the students to engage, learn and implement the
knowledge in the immunology course.
B. Content areas
There was a brief outlay of the content in form of topics in Immunology course in which the students
were asked to indicate- Not confident, somewhat confident, confident, highly confident.
The content areas that students were not confident(NC), Somewhat confident(SC), Confident (C), Highly
confident(HC) is analysed below
NC
SC
3(60%)
4(80%)
2(40%)
2(40%)
1(20%) 3(60%)
3(60%)
4(80%)
3(60%)
4(80%)
3(60%)
3(60%)
1(20%)
1(20%)
1(20%)
Innate immunity
Phagocytosis and its disorders
Acute Inflammation
Chronic inflammation
Complement system
NK cells
Cytokines and Interferons
Pathophysiology of fever
MHC Molecules
T cell maturation and T cell immunity
Disorders of T cell Immunity
B cell maturation and B cell immunity
Disorders of B cell immunity
Hypersensitivity reactions
C
1(20%)
1
2(40%)
2(40%)
HC
1(20%)
1(20%)
1(20%)
1(20%)
1(20%) 1(20%)
1(20%)
2(40%)
1(20%)
1(20%) 1(20%)
2(40%)
4(80%)
4(80%)
4(80%)
C. Learning style preference( VARK analysis)
A modified version of the original VARK questionnaire to understand the needs of training in a medical
institution was administered and the following results were obtained
Visual, Auditory, Read/write, Kinesthetic
V
A
R
K
Student
percentage
2(40%)
3(60%)
5(100%)
D. Learning Strategies
Method of studying showed the following results
Learning strategies which helped the students the most were skewed with the following results
1
2
3
4
A. Do you like:
a. Studying alone?
20% 80%
b. Pair work?
40%
60%
20%
40% 40%
20%
60% 20%
c. Group work?
d. Whole class work?
B. Which of the following learning strategies helped you
in the course?
a. Case based learning (CBL)
b. Technology based learning (TBL- Amboss)
c. Formative quizzes
100
%
80% 20%
40% 60%
d. Presentation by peers
40% 60%
e. In class solving mcqs
60% 40%
f. Review class
100
%
g. Do you follow the strategy of repetition (reading,
writing, explaining to a peer)
100
%
h. Do you have specific techniques for recall/retrieval of a
concept (solving mcqs, using mnemonics, paste up
notes)
20% 80%
i. Do you have a technique to simplify concepts (flow
diagrams, key word, writing summaries etc.)
j. Do you think dual coding (verbal and visual) helps you
to better understand a concept
100
%
20% 80%
E. Personal attributes
1. Proficiency in English language is a dire necessity in order to have a clear understanding of the
concepts explained/demonstrated in class sessions and also in a social settings where students
have to work in a English speaking country. The following results were obtained
Difficulty levels
Very often
Often
Sometimes
Reading
Never
100%
Writing
40%
60%
Listening
40%
60%
Speaking
20%
Questions
2. Are you able to listen attentively for 1 hour 45 minutes of a session
with a break of 10 minutes?
80%
YES
NO
100%
3. Did you frequently fail to speak up when you knew you should say
something about a doubt that you had or any query regarding a
topic/concept?
100%
4. Did you feel "I know what is being taught in Immunology, but given a
chance I can't explain it"?
100%
Regarding time management, prioritization and planning results of 5 students, the following results were
obtained
Questions
YES
NO
1. Did you have many days when you were attending all classes
but felt relatively non-productive?
3
2
2. Are you able to name the differences between a goal - a plan a to do list - and an action plan?
5
3. Did you operate according to a written plan/schedule for
passing the Immunology course?
2
4. Did you put things off in the particular semester, because you
are “not in the mood”/personal issues/distractors in campus or
residence?
5. Did you have the correct balance between study and rest
during the semester?
3
5
2
3
F. Trainer attributes
A comprehensive feedback by 5 students on the trainers attributes during the course period which lasted
approximately 2 months is represented below
Questions
YES
1. Do you think the trainer is knowledgeable to teach this
particular course (Physiology)?
100%
2. Do you think the trainer carried a positive attitude towards
your learning of the course?
100%
3. Is the trainer patient in answering your queries about
academics/ course/concepts?
100%
NO
4. Was the trainer
topics/concepts?
organized
in
presentation
of
100%
5. Were the learning objectives of the course pertaining to
Physiology met?
100%
6. Do you think the topics were communicated effectively by
the trainer?
100%
7. Was the trainer able to offer rich training/adequate
knowledge of the topics/concepts?
100%
8. Did the trainer exhibit high standards of professionalism
during the course in dealing with academic?
100%
9. or your personal issues during the course?
100%
10. Was the training effective and engaging enabling you to
gain sufficient knowledge?
100%
11. Do you feel there was adequate time management in
teaching and evaluating the course?
100%
Conflict of Interest:
Content areas- Since the students had attended the course between Jan-April 2023, the responses are
based not on a questionnaire that was administered immediately after the course but after a
considerable gap which could be a bias in ascertaining the level of understanding the content areas after
a considerable gap.