Makkah Colleges Novel Medical Curriculum Framework: Integrating Learner-Centeredness, Community-Orientation, and Problem-Based Learning to Address National and Local Health Needs
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Professor and President of the Egyptian Society for Medical Education
10.21608/jhpei.2025.415268.1051
Abstract
Challenge: Designing a medical curriculum for a new college in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, required a framework that not only supported the founders’ vision but also addressed the healthcare needs of both the local community and the millions of pilgrims who visit annually. The challenge was to create a curriculum that combined academic rigor with social accountability, while aligning with international standards such as WFME and national accreditation requirements from NCAAA. Methodology: Makkah Colleges adopted a bipolar approach, combining objective-oriented planning with disciplinary flexibility. The framework integrates learner-centeredness, problem-based learning (PBL), and community orientation as guiding principles. Priority health problems were identified based on prevalence, severity, and impact. Community engagement was embedded through the staircase model, ensuring progressive participation from consultation to partnership. Impact: The framework enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and community responsiveness. It also prepares graduates to address high-burden conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, while supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 health goals. Lessons Learned: With expert guidance and careful adaptation to available resources, it is possible to design a curriculum that is both innovative and sustainable, producing graduates who are clinically competent, socially accountable, and responsive to national and local health needs.
AL-Adawy, A., Dhafar, K., Zafar, T., & Talaat, W. (2025). Makkah Colleges Novel Medical Curriculum Framework: Integrating Learner-Centeredness, Community-Orientation, and Problem-Based Learning to Address National and Local Health Needs. Journal of Health Professions Education and Innovation, 2(3), 4-6. doi: 10.21608/jhpei.2025.415268.1051
MLA
Ahmed I. AL-Adawy; Khalid O. Dhafar; Tariq A. Zafar; Wagdy Talaat. "Makkah Colleges Novel Medical Curriculum Framework: Integrating Learner-Centeredness, Community-Orientation, and Problem-Based Learning to Address National and Local Health Needs", Journal of Health Professions Education and Innovation, 2, 3, 2025, 4-6. doi: 10.21608/jhpei.2025.415268.1051
HARVARD
AL-Adawy, A., Dhafar, K., Zafar, T., Talaat, W. (2025). 'Makkah Colleges Novel Medical Curriculum Framework: Integrating Learner-Centeredness, Community-Orientation, and Problem-Based Learning to Address National and Local Health Needs', Journal of Health Professions Education and Innovation, 2(3), pp. 4-6. doi: 10.21608/jhpei.2025.415268.1051
VANCOUVER
AL-Adawy, A., Dhafar, K., Zafar, T., Talaat, W. Makkah Colleges Novel Medical Curriculum Framework: Integrating Learner-Centeredness, Community-Orientation, and Problem-Based Learning to Address National and Local Health Needs. Journal of Health Professions Education and Innovation, 2025; 2(3): 4-6. doi: 10.21608/jhpei.2025.415268.1051
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