PURPOSE
Humanities courses are increasingly recognized as essential for cultivating
empathetic, reflective, and socially responsive physicians. The Aga Khan
University introduced seven foundational humanities courses at the start of
the MBChB programme - an uncommon model in the East African context. This
study examined medical students’ perceptions of these courses, with the aim
of identifying strengths, challenges, and opportunities for curricular
improvement.
METHODS
A retrospective descriptive review was conducted using routine course
evaluation data from two cohorts of first-year MBChB students. Evaluations
included Likert-scale items assessing course organization, content relevance,
delivery, and assessment, as well as open-ended questions on learning
experiences and suggestions for improvement. Quantitative data were
summarized using descriptive statistics, while qualitative responses
underwent thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke’s framework. Data from
seven humanities courses across two trimesters were analyzed.
RESULTS
Overall perceptions of humanities courses were positive, with mean scores
across domains ranging from 3.7 to 4.2 on a 5-point scale. History of
Medicine and Critical Thinking & Academic Writing received the highest
ratings, reflecting their relevance, engaging teaching approaches,
contributions to enhancing critical thinking, communication and collaboration
skills.
Inter-Professional Education and Counselling & Communication for Health
Workers courses showed greater variability, with neutral and negative
responses linked to the lack of understanding of the importance of the
course, noting that clearer articulation of
learning goals and more intentional faculty guidance would strengthen
engagement and motivation.
In Trimester 2, Society, Ethics and Law consistently achieved strong
evaluations (means 4.2–4.6), while Psychosocial and Biological Foundations of
Behaviour initially scored lower due to heavy content and organizational gaps
but demonstrated substantial improvement in the subsequent cohort (mean 3.8).
CONCLUSIONS
Students value the humanities curriculum and perceive it as impactful in
developing foundational professional competencies. However, improvements are
needed in communicating relevance and scaffolding complex concepts.