Active learning methodology, associated to formative assessment, improved cardiac physiology knowledge and decreased pre-test stress and anxiety.

Stress and anxiety caused by assessments are often related to the student's insecurity regarding the knowledge to be evaluated, while teaching strategies that increase effective learning can assist in reducing it. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that the use of an active methodology, associated to formative assessment, could reduce students' anxiety and stress, when compared to the traditional method, by promoting greater learning. New students enrolled in the same discipline of a Dentistry course were invited to participate in the study and were divided into two groups: traditional method and active methodology. The traditional method group received two lectures, delivered orally. The active methodology group received a lecture about cardiac cells and the autonomic control of cardiac function, with home study of the cardiac cycle using a textbook. In the second class, an individual formative assessment was applied. Afterwards, a group activity was performed with an educational game about the cardiac cycle, followed by a group formative assessment. After applying the traditional or active methodology, test 1 was carried out. Immediately before this test, saliva samples were collected for determination of the concentrations of the stress biomarkers cortisol and α-amylase. The students also answered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire, used for anxiety level determination. The score obtained in the test 1 was significantly higher for the active methodology group, compared to the traditional method group. No significant differences between the groups were observed for baseline cortisol and salivary α-amylase concentrations, or for anxiety scores. Before test 1, traditional method group presented higher concentrations of salivary cortisol and α-amylase, compared to the respective baseline values, while the active methodology group showed no difference between the baseline and test 1 levels. Before test 1, there were increases in anxiety levels, relative to the respective baseline values, regardless of the teaching methodology used, but this increase was greater for the traditional method group, compared to the active methodology group. These results showed that the active methodology, associated to formative assessment, decreased test stress and anxiety, with improved student performance in comparison to traditional lectures.

An educational game for teaching osmolarity and tonicity: opinions of dental and medical students.

In health courses, the students must be familiar with the effects of intravenous solutions on cell volume and function, a topic where there can be learning difficulties and misunderstandings. Since educational games can assist in understanding complex concepts, we created a game relating solution osmolarity and tonicity to red blood cell volume that was used in undergraduate Dentistry and Medicine courses. The students, working in groups, completed the game board by indicating the effect of the solutions on the red blood cell volume and classifying the solutions in terms of tonicity and osmolarity. The student indicated that the use of the educational game contributed to their understanding of osmolarity and tonicity.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study describes an educational game for teaching osmolarity and tonicity, using classical red blood cell experiment results. The game was used during dialogic teaching, which was interrupted three times so that the student groups could answer questions about the experiments by completing a table describing the effects of different solutions on cell volume. According to the students' perception, the game contributed to their understanding of osmolarity and tonicity as related to human cells.

Effect of an active learning methodology combined with formative assessments on performance, test anxiety, and stress of university students.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an active methodology combined with a lecture on undergraduate student learning and levels of stress and anxiety. The active learning methodology consisted of a lecture of 50-min duration, study at home with a textbook, an educational game activity, and three formative assessments on the topic of the cardiac cycle. In a following class, the students provided saliva samples to evaluate their levels of stress, received an anxiety test, and then undertook an exam to assess their understanding of the cardiac cycle. The traditional teaching methodology consisted of two lectures (∼2-h duration) on blood pressure control systems, delivered orally. In the third class, the students provided saliva samples, received an anxiety test, and then undertook an exam to assess their understanding of blood pressure control systems. The level of stress was assessed with the concentrations of the stress biomarkers cortisol and alpha-amylase in saliva. Anxiety was assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire. The students achieved significantly higher average scores in exams when the active learning strategy was applied compared with the use of traditional theoretical classes. The active methodology resulted in significantly lower levels of stress and anxiety, as well as improved student performance, compared with the use of traditional lectures.

Assessoria pedagógica ao docente universitário: uma carreira em construção / Pedagogical advice to university professors: a career under construction / Asesoría pedagógica al docente universitario: una carrera en construcción

Esse artigo empreende estudo teórico sobre o profissional que trabalha com a formação pedagógica do professor universitário aqui denominado assessor pedagógico universitário. Busca tornar a reflexão pedagógica na universidade uma prática, desenvolvendo o olhar sobre a docência como um exercício profissional. Neste sentido, este estudo objetiva, também, abrir a possibilidade de reflexão e discussão acerca da formação pedagógica do docente universitário, sob a ótica do profissional responsável por desencadear os processos formativos junto aos docentes, ou seja, sob a ótica do assessor pedagógico. Aprofundar os conhecimentos sobre este profissional pode ser um caminho para se rever uma enraizada cultura institucional, pautada em um ensino instrumentalizado e de transmissão que ainda resiste no interior da universidade.

This article undertakes a theoretical study about the professional that works with the pedagogical training of the university professor here called university pedagogical advisor. Search to make a reflection in the university a practice, developing the look on teaching as a professional exercise. In this sense, this study also aims to open the possibility of reflection and discussion about the university professor's pedagogical formation, from the view of the professional responsible for initiating the formative processes with the professors, that is, from the view of pedagogical advisor. Deepening the knowledge about this professional can be a way to review a rooted institutional culture, based on an instrumentalized and transmission teaching that still resists inside the university.

Este artículo emprende estudio teórico sobre el profesional que trabaja con la formación pedagógica del profesor universitario aquí denominado asesor pedagógico universitario. Búsqueda de una reflexión pedagógica en la universidad una práctica, desarrollando la mirada sobre la docencia como un ejercicio profesional. En este sentido, este estudio objetiva, también, abrir la posibilidad de reflexión y discusión acerca de la formación pedagógica del docente universitario, bajo la óptica del profesional responsable por desencadenar los procesos formativos junto a los docentes, o sea, bajo la óptica del asesor pedagógico. La profundización de los conocimientos sobre este profesional puede ser un camino para revisar una enraizada cultura institucional, pautada en una enseñanza instrumentalizada y de transmisión que aún resiste en el interior de la universidad.