Students' Perspectives on the Educational Environment at the University of Khartoum, Faculty of Medicine (2023-2024)

Abstract

Background: Educational Environment (EE) is a broad category of settings that engage students in learning activities and its plays a central role in shaping students’ learning, attitudes, and academic success..A positive EE promotes intellectual growth, cooperation, satisfaction, and achievement, while students’ perceptions guide improvement effort. In Sudan, however, medical education faces unique challenges, including limited resources, political instability and ongoing conflict, all of which negatively affect training, infrastructure, and student well-being, highlighting the urgent need for systematic evaluation. At the University of Khartoum’s Faculty of Medicine, understanding students’ views is vital for identifying strengths and areas requiring improvement. Despite the institution’s leading role, little research has examined how academic performance, motivation, and living conditions influence these perceptions.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered, online questionnaire. The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) was applied to assess the perceptions of 377 medical students across six academic batches. Stratified random sampling ensured adequate representation by gender and batch. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 to examine the influence of demographic and academic factors on five key domains of the educational environment: perceptions of teaching, perceptions of teachers, academic self-perception, perceptions of atmosphere, and social self-perception.

Results: The overall DREEM score was 113.1 ± 19.62, indicating a generally positive perception of the educational environment. However, subgroup analyses revealed notable disparities. Male students reported lower perceptions of teaching quality (p = 0.036), while dormitory residents had a significantly lower perception of teachers (p = 0.011). Students with intrinsic motivation exhibited higher scores in teaching (p = 0.002) and social self-perception (p = 0.002), whereas students experiencing academic difficulties had significantly lower scores in teaching (p = 0.016) and atmosphere (p = 0.029).

Conclusion: The findings indicate a generally favorable perception of the educational environment, yet subgroup differences highlight areas requiring targeted improvement. Male students’ lower ratings of teaching suggest the importance of incorporating gender-sensitive instructional strategies. Similarly, dormitory residents’ less favorable views of faculty may point to environmental or institutional barriers limiting student–faculty interaction. The higher scores among intrinsically motivated students underscore the value of fostering self-directed learning, while lower scores among academically struggling students emphasize the strong link between performance and perceptions of the learning environment. Together, these results call for evidence-based curricular reforms, strengthened student support services, and faculty development initiatives to create a more inclusive and effective environment that supports both academic achievement and professional growth. Student perceptions thus provide critical insights, with targeted interventions in teaching approaches, motivational support, and institutional systems offering pathways to enhance learning outcomes and student well-being.