Problem-based learning and formative evaluation. A experience (Aprendizaje basado en problemas y evaluación formativa del cursado. Una experiencia).

CASANAVE EMMA BEATRIZ

Foz do Iguaçu, Brasil.

Congreso; Reunión de Integración de Morfología Panamericana, II Simposio sobre Enseñanza de Anatomía (SBA); V Simposio de la Asociación Paranaense para el Desarrollo de la Enseñanza de Ciencias (APADEC),; 2004

Asociaciones Brasileña, Chilena y Argentina de Anatomía.

Panelista por invitación.en Mesa Redonda dos Tutoriais: Ferramientas de ensino e pesquisa: Nuevas Herramientas em la Enseñanza y la Investigación de la Biología Celular, Histología y Embriología, 27/10/04, 17:10 -21:00. Problem-based learning and formative evaluation. One experience. Emma Beatriz Casanave Cátedra de Fisiología Animal, Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS). San Juan 670, 8000, Bahía Blanca. and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET, Argentina. E-mail: casanave@criba.edu.ar. The course of Animal Physiology for biologist of the Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur, placed in the fourth year of the career plan, gives an introduction to the basic physiological principles common to all animals, from invertebrates to human, and a comparative approach, emphasizing physiology at the level of the organism and it’s interactions with the surrounding environment, as well as the integration of physiology with related disciplines. I report here my experience with the use of Problems Based Learning (PBL) as a pedagogical tool, in a laboratory section of that course. The practical work program of the course was organized, considering the subjects, in three modules. In the first one we introduced PBL, an educational method that urge students to "learn to learn," working cooperatively in formal groups, searching for solutions to the problems, used to encourage their interest and to begin learning the topics, developing hypothesis, finding, choosing, elaborating and synthesizing information needed to resolve them. PBL motivate students to reason, stress thinking, understanding, communication, and group processes. Accordingly, we applied formative evaluation, and “open book” partial examinations to this unit. For these exams we generated problems, in which resolution students had to consider fulfillment of all the learning objectives previously established for the unit. We selected actual problems, on the base of research papers recently published in prestigious Biological Sciences journals. An individual problem was provided, by chance, to each student. Then, we attended personal questions, reinforced the bibliographical sources, and gave students one week to resolve the problem and to present the written report. The productions were evaluated by the educators and students were cited for orally defend their personal works. Presentations were limited to ten minutes, with five minutes of questions and answers. Formative corrections were done if necessary. The examinations were open, public, optionally attended by the other students. Analysis, comprehension, discernment, synthesis, are complex skills that students need, to apply and transmit their knowledge, judge situations and defend their ideas. The instructor is a facilitator that examines student judgment and ideas, correct wrong reasoning, help research, and assure the students clearly reach the learning objectives. The critical analysis of the results and the opinion of the students after four years of experience, suggest that PBL with this methodology of evaluation, applied to units of suitable issues, improved the students personal production, diminished the stress of the traditional exam, and favored the significant learning in a complex course with variated contents. KEY WORDS: High Education - Problem-based learning - Formative evaluation.