MD Graduates and Faculty define great teaching in Cyprus and Sweden

Cross-cultural study published in BMC Medical Education

Recent MD graduates from the University of Nicosia and Örebro University, together with faculty from both medical schools, have co-authored a cross-border study published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Medical Education.

The author team includes UNIC MD graduates Ismini Kyriakou, Irene Papapetrou, and Virginia Constantinou; UNIC Medical School faculty members Chloe Antoniou, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, and Annalisa Quattrocchi, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology; as well as Elisabeth Hultgren-Hörnquist, Professor of Immunology at Örebro University, and recent Örebro MD graduate Marco Mansour. Their study is titled ‘Qualities of an effective teacher: a cross-cultural study on the perspectives of students and faculty in two medical programs in Cyprus and Sweden’. The collaboration was made possible through networking opportunities provided by the NEOLAiA European University Alliance.

The paper examines how teachers and medical students at the University of Nicosia (Cyprus) and Örebro University (Sweden) view the characteristics that make teaching engaging and effective in sustaining student interest while imparting knowledge.

Using an online questionnaire distributed to medical students and teachers at both institutions, the study gathered responses from 511 students and 55 teachers, enabling comparison of perceptions around effective lecture delivery and general teacher qualities.

Across both universities, strong subject knowledge and respect for students ranked highest among general teacher attributes. Respondents from Cyprus additionally highlighted approachability, cultural competence, passion for teaching, and constructive feedback as particularly important. Good time management emerged as the only quality rated ‘extremely important’ by nearly all groups, while dress code and humour were consistently ranked lowest.

The study offers useful insights into cross-cultural perspectives on engaging teaching practices and can inform faculty development programmes at medical schools, strengthening the skills that both students and faculty recognise as important.