Victor Dueñas
ABSTRACT
The implementation of the pedagogical approach to problem-based learning (BPL) is presented in a course offered to students of Bacteriology and Clinical Laboratory at Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. The course is offered to three groups of students, each consisting of 10 students in an academic period of 18 weeks.
The Transfusion Medicine course (axes I and II) is the result of the integration of two subjects that were offered under the traditional behavioral approach in the Academic Program of Bacteriology and Clinical Laboratory and is the product of numerous transformations as a result of evaluations and observations of students as main actors in the teaching-learning process.
The subjects that were integrated were Clinical Immunohematology and Health Services Administration, for this it was necessary to rethink the entire structure of the courses, so that from the elaboration of problem axes and objects of study, the most relevant and basic aspects of Both disciplines.
The result at present is a course that allows, through problematic axes and objects of study, that the student appropriates administrative and technical scientific concepts of transfusion medicine, making it clear that in order to appropriate these concepts, the different social, economic, cultural, legal, ethical and scientific aspects of both disciplines.
KEYWORDS: Transfusion medicine, BPL in higher education, BPL in health sciences
TYPE OF CONTRIBUTION: Practice-based abstract
PRESENTATION FORMAT: Experience demonstration
PRESENTATION
The implementation of the pedagogical approach to problem-based learning (BPL) is presented in a course offered to students of Bacteriology and Clinical Laboratory at Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. The course is offered to three groups of students, each consisting of 10 students in an academic period of 18 weeks.
The Transfusion Medicine course (axes I and II) is the result of the integration of two subjects that were offered under the traditional behavioral approach in the Academic Program of Bacteriology and Clinical Laboratory and is the product of numerous transformations as a result of evaluations and observations of students as main actors in the teaching-learning process.
The subjects that were integrated were Clinical Immunohematology and Health Services Administration, for this it was necessary to rethink the entire structure of the courses, so that from the elaboration of problem axes and objects of study, the most relevant and basic aspects of Both disciplines.
The result at present is a course that allows, through problematic axes and objects of study, that the student appropriates administrative and technical scientific concepts of transfusion medicine, making it clear that in order to appropriate these concepts, the different social, economic, cultural, legal, ethical and scientific aspects of both disciplines.
The approach through the pedagogical approach to learning based on problems, projects, processes, people and the person (BPL5), in which the student is an active part, allows knowledge to be acquired in a more participatory and more relevant way, On the other hand, it allows tutors to permanently evaluate interpretative, argumentative and propositive competencies in students.
The problem-based learning approach integrates tools of information and communication technologies (ICT) to favor the learning process.
For the development of the course a website has been created that provides all the necessary information to the student: h ttps://sites.google.com/correounivalle.edu.co/inmunohematologia/inicio
DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE DEVELOPMENT Moment 1: Induction
In the first session the presentation of the students, the tutor and the course is made, emphasizing the pedagogical approach to problem-based learning that will be used and a course start evaluation is carried out to value previous knowledge and characteristics of students.
Moment 2: Individual definition of learning needs
In this phase the students, in independent time; they observe the problem axis and relate it to the proposed objects of study. Based on this, they proceed to:
• Arguing the problem or problems, who are affected by the situation and the relevance of the problem in the local, national and international context.
• Define unknown terminology or ambiguous aspects that prevent you from understanding the problem.
• Identify learning needs. This is achieved through the approach of a general learning objective and specific objectives.
• Ask guiding questions that respond to those goals. The questions are categorized into four dimensions: a) the socio-economic dimension that includes questions related to social, cultural, economic, normative, political and legal issues; b) the behavioral psychological dimension that includes questions related to the ethical, aesthetic, attitudes and aptitudes and competences of being; c) the biological dimension that has to do with explanations of the principles and foundations of biological processes, the fundamentals of laboratory tests and in general with the scientific technical processes of evidence-based transfusion medicine; and d) the dimension of competencies that allows students to identify, according to the social division of work, which competences they must gain related to knowledge and know-how.
This individual work is published by the student in his digital academic portfolio.
Moment 3: Proposal for a collective work agenda
At this stage, students socialize their individual work and negotiate among them, in the classroom, a general objective, specific objectives and guiding questions for the group. In this way, it is passed from a personal interest to a collective and collaborative one as the students elaborate a work agenda for the problem axis with which they commit.
The collective work agenda is published in the digital portfolio of the course.
Moment 4: Discussion and conclusions in the tutorial
Sessions Four tutorial discussion sessions are assigned for each problem axis. In these sessions, students discuss and answer the different questions posed in the collective agenda and generate new questions that are added to the agenda. In these discussion sessions, the tutor can clarify and motivate student participation through justifying, amplifying or hypothetizing questions.
Each discussion session includes student self-assessment through a structured online format. In the same way, the tutor evaluates the students in each session through a tool called a field notebook in which they record the participation of the students and their quality, as well as other significant aspects that occur in the classroom.
At the end of the discussion sessions scheduled for each problem axis, conclusions are drawn about what has been learned, the difficulties that were experienced in the development of the axis are evaluated, and a basic knowledge assessment workshop is held.
COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF THE COURSE
The course includes the following aspects of evaluation that are carried out through structured online formats:
• Evaluation of the beginning of the course: in which characteristics of students such as expectations of the course and the BPL pedagogical approach are explored, as well as as proficiency in the management of ICT tools and the availability of electronic support equipment among other aspects.
• Self-assessment: each student self-evaluates five aspects: a) academic preparation; b) participation;
c) communication skills; d) compression of the issues and e) punctuality.
• Evaluation of the pedagogical approach, of the course and of the tutor: through two instruments, one institutional of the University and another of the course itself, the course, the pedagogical approach used, the tutor and the students are evaluated. These formats are online and are internal to the University.
• Evaluation by the tutor: the tutor evaluates the students in the following aspects: a) publication of the digital portfolio for which there is a rubric and work guide; b) permanent monitoring of student work through the field notebook tool; c) knowledge assessment workshops at the end of each axis and d) a final exam.
FINAL ANNOTATION
For several years, the course has been offered and evaluated, the following results or assessments have been obtained from the students in relation to the development of the problem-based learning approach. The results presented here correspond to the response of 159 students:
• 89.9% of the students believe that the BPL approach allowed them to improve their communication skills.
• 92% believe that the BPL approach stimulated their participation in the discussions.
• 91% report that the BPL approach permanently stimulates the identification of learning needs.
• 95% believe that the ABP approach allows them to legitimize their peers as subjects from which they can learn.
• 96% believe that the BPL approach contributes to the integration of content for the best understanding of problems.
• 91% believe that the BPL approach stimulates learning to learn by giving autonomy to the student.
• 94% state that the BPL approach allows improving their search and information synthesis skills.
These results together with other aspects evaluated can be presented in more detail if this paper is accepted.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Victor Dueñas, victor.duenas@correounivalle.edu.co, Colombia, Universidad del Valle, (corresponding author)