Primary Care Research Centre (PCRC)

Medical education

This theme aims to understand and evaluate new, innovative educational practices at ARU's School of Medicine. It includes medical educators, medical students, and others such as learning/simulation technologists who are interested in the development of medical education and enhancing learning and teaching practices.

Wide exterior shot of ARU's School of Medicine on a sunny day

We work closely with undergraduate and postgraduate students to evaluate their learning experience, with the ultimate aim of analysing various aspects of medical curriculum development and assessment practices across the school.

Our research activities focus on a broad range of topics, such as evaluating students' experience with curriculum and assessment development on the Medical Doctor Apprenticeship Programme (MDDA), Medicine MBChB, Medical and Healthcare Education MSc, Medical and Healthcare Education PG Cert and Physician Associate MSc, and assessing the effectiveness of novel technology-enhanced learning platforms.

We also aim to collaborate and develop partnerships within the wider community by joining up with primary care providers and patients' groups. For example, we already draw on the expertise of patient partners to inform our students’ practice and assessments across our programmes. Our vision is to establish research collaboration and a network across regional and national higher educational institutes.

Our people

The theme is led by Dr Eshtar Hamid, who is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education and the course leader for the ARU's postgraduate Medical and Healthcare Education programme. Our diverse educational expertise includes NHS healthcare professionals and academic educators who are actively engaged in curriculum development, with research backgrounds.

Upcoming projects

  • Evaluation of employment opportunities in the MDDA programme and their transferable skills (qualitative study)
  • A qualitative evaluation of the impact of the MDDA programme on access to medicine for our current cohort
  • Implementation and evaluation of interprofessional learning through game-based learning activities (funded by Anglia Learning and Teaching)
  • Evaluating the use of AI in simulation and assessment in medical education
  • Evaluating the use of OSCE for the assessment of medical ethics
  • "The Hidden Curriculum: How well does Anglia Ruskin Medical School prepare students for work? A Qualitative Study
  • Evaluating students' experience of teaching and learning during the medical education SSC
  • Gender representation in the undergraduate curriculum at ARU School of Medicine: evaluation of curriculum materials, teaching delivery and assessments