Using the MUSIC Inventory to Evaluate Pathology Courses: an Exploratory Study

Abstract

Background: The MUSIC Inventory evaluates student’s academic motivation across five constructs. We aimed to examine its use in undergraduate medical pathology courses. Activity: Students from three pathology courses completed questions for three factors of the MUSIC Inventory plus one open-ended question. We conducted an exploratory analysis of the survey data. Results: Results showed that the open-ended responses corresponded to differences in ratings on the MUSIC Inventory. Discussion: Combining an open-ended question with the MUSIC Inventory identified differences in student motivation plus aspects of each course that could be improved. The MUSIC Inventory is an appropriate evaluation method for pathology teaching.