There is a lack of data about the levels of satisfaction among medical students in regards to their academic activities in Malaysia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to fill the gap in the existing knowledge. A cross sectional study was carried out at the International medical school, the Management and Science University of Malaysia, from December 2011 to February 2012. A total of 200 medical students were participated in this study through random sampling. The questionnaires used in this study consisted of socio-demographic questions and questions about the existing academic system. The study found that, despite there was the satisfaction by medical students from some academic aspects, improvements in other areas, such as providing digital library and career counseling, are urgently needed. The present study provides the world community with factual information about the current situation in medical education in Malaysia. The results of the study might assist Malaysian administrators and authorities in better decision making.

Students' perception of educational climate influences academic performance, and its analysis provides essential information to improve it. To evaluate the perception of 3rd and 5th grade students regarding educational climate, before and during the pandemic. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed involving dental students, who answered the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire. The overall DREEM and its 5 subscales were analyzed evaluating two period times, before and during the pandemic. There were statistically significant differences when comparing the results obtained by 3rd and 5th grade students, before and during the pandemic, with effect magnitude from high to very high. It is noteworthy that 3rd graders have more positive perceptions compared to 5th graders. The 3rd year students felt more strongly the difficulties inherent to the COVID-19 pandemic. While in the 3rd year the students had less Educational Climate during the pandemic, the 5th year student had better Educational Climate in this period, perhaps because they maintain the face-to-face clinical classes. A negative point is associated with the scarce support system for students with stress problems. COVID-19 pandemic affected the perception of the Educational Climate, with a significant difference between of 3rd and 5th year dental students.