Zooming in on factors influencing the effectiveness of teaching general courses in the medical curriculum in the Islamic Republic of Iran

General courses can effectively empower students and enhance their professional and social personality, and it is essential to continuously evaluate the effectiveness, status, and updating of these courses. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the effectiveness of teaching general courses in the medical curriculum in Iran. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative phases. After conducting semi-structured interviews with experts, medical students, and professors of general courses, and using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis method, 528 codes were extracted and classified into 4 themes, 11 categories, and 33 subcategories. The main themes included updating the curriculum, focusing on effective and purposeful learning, collaboration and needs assessment of the stakeholders, and linking general courses with practical skills. Based on the results of the qualitative phase, a model for the effective teaching of general courses was developed using Delphi method with subject matter experts, and the validity of the model was confirmed with a two-round validation process. Removing unnecessary courses or those with repetitive content, designing needs-oriented content, involving experts in course revisions, using skill-based education methods, increasing skill-based and practical courses, flexibility in evaluation, and utilizing new educational technologies indicated the highest mean and consensus index. The results showed the necessity of evolving the traditional education system, rethinking, revising the topics and content, focusing on skills based on new needs, promoting evaluation models, and utilizing modern tools and technologies in teaching general courses.