ASSESSING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN FORENSIC MEDICINE IN AN INTEGRATED UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL CURRICULUM: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY AT A MEDICAL COLLEGE IN PAKISTAN

Objective: This study aimed to assess medical students' engagement levels and identify socio-demographic factors associated with participation. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at a single medical college using self-reported surveys to assess student engagement across different age groups, genders, and academic years. Data were analyzed to determine the prevalence of "Good," "Neutral," and "Poor" engagement levels, with P < 0.05 set as the cutoff for statistical significance. Results: Most students (63.75%) exhibited a neutral level of engagement, while 20% demonstrated high engagement and 16.25% reported low engagement. Significant correlations were found between engagement and demographic variables (P < 0.05); notably, high engagement was most common among 21-year-olds (47.7%) and third-year students (59.6%), whereas engagement decreased significantly in older students and those in their fourth year of MBBS. Female students also reported significantly higher "Good" engagement (36.9%) compared to their male counterparts (1.31%). Conclusion: Engagement levels notably decline as students advance through their medical education and age. Although the study is limited by its single-center, cross-sectional design, these findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions to sustain student motivation in the later stages of medical training. Keywords: Student engagement, Modular Teaching System, Impact of Assessment Weightage, student motivation