Degree of student satisfaction with the use of active learning methodology in a discipline of Ethics in Health

Abstract

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/19827199823

The process of teaching involving health care courses is extremely complex, and remits the responsibility to train qualified professionals to the needs of the population. The traditional model of education, centered on the figure of the teacher, has been discussed and criticized considering that the student is commonly a passive subject on the acquisition of knowledge. The aim of this study was to apply the techniques of active learning methodology in a discipline of Ethics in Health - semipresential modality, and to analyze the degree of satisfaction of students in the classroom and in virtual environment activities. Regarding the methods, a quali-quantitative design study was conducted involving 37 students that, delimited under problem-based situations and learning objectives, performed classroom and distance activities in Moodle environment.  An instrument was used to analyze the subjects’ satisfaction and their academic performance. The technique of Discourse of the Collective Subject was applied to perform a qualitative analysis of results and the independent Student’s t-test was used to compare, under a quantitative basis, the responses of the students who approved or not the active method. Regarding the results, 89.2% of the students approved the active methodology, claiming better performance in the discussions. Even with the good acceptance, some students reported adaptive difficulties related to the method, despite the similarity of academic performance between them (p=0.18). The results reinforce the importance of applying active teaching methods in the university environment, and emphasize the need for policies that empower the teacher in this new reality.

Keywords: Active learning methodology, Ethics in health, Problem based learning.