Perceptions of the educational environment of the medical school in King Abdul Aziz University,saudi Arabia.

The present paper reports data from the undergraduate medical school at King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia using the 50-item Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM), which has been validated and found to be reliable in a range of cultural contexts. The mean total score was 102/200. The mean total score for Perception of Learning was 22/48; for Perceptions of Teaching 24/44; for Academic Self-perceptions 17/32; for Perceptions of Atmosphere 23/48 and for Social Self Perceptions 15/28. The mean score of 0.9 for Item 3--There is a good support system for students who get stressed--was the lowest and is indicative of the pressures felt by the students. These scores give a clear indication of the priorities for reform of the curriculum. These data can also serve as a baseline for a longitudinal quality assessment of students' perceptions of the changes planned for the medical school at King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. Further studies are needed to analyse educational environment down to the year levels and to detect any gender differences.