Active teaching-learning methodologies in human genetics: the view of health students

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

In the education process, learning strategies such as active methodologies play a fundamental role in promoting the construction of students’ knowledge, especially in subjects with challenging scientific themes and content.

Objective:

To evaluate how students perceive active methodologies used in the discipline of human genetics in health courses at a public university in the state of Amazonas.

Method:

In this study, nursing, medicine, and dentistry students responded to a questionnaire with Likert scale response options relating to six active methodologies in the classroom: construction of didactic models, gamification, team-based learning, flipped classroom, clinical case studies, and video-based learning. The reliability of the responses was assessed, and Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for association analyses with a confidence level of 95%.

Results:

The participants, mostly women, had an average age of 20.4±3.5 years. Medicine students were the most representative in four of the six active methodologies used. A significant association was observed between female gender and preference for the didactic model construction methodology, while the male gender tended to evaluate video-based learning more positively. Additionally, individual analysis revealed that video-based learning was more associated with the dentistry course compared to nursing, while clinical case studies were more favoured by medicine students compared to nursing. This suggests a preference of dentistry and medicine students for these methodologies, respectively. As for understanding the concept of active methodologies, the word “student” was the most frequently mentioned.

Conclusion:

Students acknowledge the direct involvement of active methodologies but have a partial understanding of the benefits. Active methodologies in human genetics have motivated and sparked interest. Educators should consider the diversity of students’ skills and preferences when using such methodologies, as well as share their experiences and pursue ongoing education.

Keywords:
Teaching; Higher Education; Active Learning; Human Genetics