Direct Dialogue and Development Opportunities… College of Medicine Dean, Prof. Dr. Bandar Al-Jafen, Listens to Male and Female Students During an Open Meeting.
By: Khalid Al-Saad
Photography: Yasser Al-Khudairi
The Student Council at the College of Medicine held an open meeting on Thursday, November 5, 2026, with the College Dean, Prof. Dr. Bandar bin Nasser Al-Jafen, with the participation of the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Mona bint Mohammed Suleiman, and the Vice Dean for Female Student Affairs, Dr. Hanaa bint Mohammed Al-Bulaihi. The meeting was attended by academic leaders, department heads, faculty members, and a group of male and female students in the College’s Main Grand Hall. The meeting aimed to strengthen direct communication between the College Deanship and its male and female students, provide them with the opportunity to raise their inquiries and discuss their aspirations, suggestions, and challenges facing them in academic aspects and student services, enhance the Council’s role in conveying the voices of male and female students and representing their needs, and contribute to finding appropriate solutions, developing the educational environment, and improving the quality of the student experience at the College.
At the beginning of his speech, Prof. Dr. Al-Jafen emphasized that the meeting aims to provide an opportunity for direct and transparent dialogue with male and female students, listen to their comments, answer their inquiries, and benefit from them in identifying opportunities for improvement. He expressed his willingness to repeat these meetings, noting that the comments raised by students, particularly when repeated, help the College review and develop its educational practices. He also addressed the quality of medical education, the College’s academic history and position in preparing physicians, and the results achieved by its male and female students in specialty examinations and admission to fellowship and training programs inside and outside the Kingdom. He emphasized the quality of student selection and the development and periodic review of curricula, supported by faculty members’ expertise in education, scientific research, and clinical practice, and that maintaining this position is a shared responsibility between the College and its students.
The meeting addressed the education and assessment system, from reviewing curricula and learning outcomes in departments and academic committees to the role of the Examination Center in preparing and reviewing questions. Participants explained that examination questions are prepared according to the learning outcomes and announced objectives of each course, and are reviewed by department committees and the Examination Center using standards that assess their quality and alignment with the examination blueprint. Their results are analyzed after examinations to review their level of difficulty and benefit from them in development. They emphasized that course questions are subject to these procedures, and that students’ comments regarding a question or scientific source can be submitted to the relevant academic authorities for review.
For their part, attendees discussed the distribution of course content across midterm examinations, including the concerns raised regarding the fourth-year Obstetrics and Gynecology course examination. Speakers explained that each course has a description and educational objectives that determine its content, and that the department may specify the material included in the examination provided that it is announced to students in advance, taking into account the nature of medical courses in which theoretical and clinical knowledge are integrated and whose topics cannot always be separated. They emphasized the importance of male and female students’ comments being specific so that course coordinators and committees can study them and address matters requiring development.
Regarding course and lecture evaluations, the Dean called on students to provide clear feedback after each course, emphasizing that evaluation enables the College to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. The Vice Dean for Development and Quality, Prof. Dr. Ayman Al-Ayyadhi, reviewed the increase in male and female students’ response rates to evaluations over the past years, from approximately 17% in some courses to nearly 47–49% in others. He pointed to the possibility of launching a platform that would enable faculty members to follow students’ evaluations, as well as the “Your Voice Is Heard” initiative to communicate with quality ambassadors across academic years. He explained that new faculty members undergo orientation and development programs, in addition to the implementation of peer evaluation and follow-up within departments.
The inquiries of male and female students included the duration of basic medical science courses, the possibility of delivering some courses electronically, and the mechanism for organizing examinations during holidays. Participants explained that the duration of a course is linked to its content, objectives, and academic calendar, and that proposals to convert some courses, including Artificial Intelligence and Learning Skills, into an electronic format are still under study through departments, committees, and College and University Councils. They clarified that the examination schedule is prepared before the beginning of the academic year in coordination with departments and the Examination Center, and is presented to the Student Council and class leaders to receive their feedback, while taking scheduling requirements and available resources into consideration.
The College Dean, Prof. Dr. Bandar Al-Jafen, emphasized the importance of commitment to attendance and participation in lectures and educational activities. He explained that absences are subject to university regulations, and that attendance at some activities may be linked to grades depending on their nature, unlike lecture attendance, which is governed by the University’s regulations. He stressed students’ commitment to the approved professional attire when attending clinical settings.
The discussion also addressed a proposal related to making one of the educational components available in the form of clinical training. The Dean explained that the essential learning outcomes required by physicians to practice safely are not considered optional components.
The meeting also addressed the Progress Test. Al-Jafen explained that the two incentive marks associated with it were approved to encourage male and female students to participate and monitor the development of their performance, rather than turning the test into a means of competing for course grades. He announced his welcome of proposals submitted by student bodies to discuss the grading mechanism within the approved regulations.
In the clinical training section, Prof. Dr. Al-Jafen called on students to benefit from the capabilities of the University Medical City and university hospitals in training and acquiring clinical skills, noting that practical training is an essential pillar in preparing male and female medical students.
He emphasized that academic advising is available to outstanding students as well as those facing difficulties, calling on male and female students to benefit from the Unit’s services and opportunities that help them develop their academic paths. He also pointed to external training opportunities for outstanding male and female students, including summer training at Asan Medical Center in South Korea, and the University’s support for one student’s participation in an international conference. He also addressed the role of the course on the Fundamentals of Scientific Research and faculty supervision in developing student research participation, as well as the importance of specialty interest groups and guidance lectures for internship students in preparing for the labor market.
The meeting concluded by emphasizing the importance of continued communication between male and female students and the College administration, and activating evaluation and feedback channels as an entry point for improving courses, examinations, and training. The meeting reflects an approach toward involving students in discussing their educational experience and transforming their comments and suggestions into opportunities to be studied through the relevant academic channels.
