posted on 2024-01-26, 21:45authored bySoraya Elena Layton
Jaramillo, William Aníbal Villamil Villar, Eva Aguaded Ramírez, Javier Carrillo Rosúa
Training in chemistry is essential
for undergraduate medical students;
however, at the National University of Colombia, basic chemistry courses
are associated with high fail rates and low academic performance with
regard to first semester students, especially in vulnerable special
admission populations. A longitudinal study was carried out via program
evaluation methodology using quantitative and qualitative techniques
to assess an innovative pedagogical strategy founded on context-based
learning and different didactic and evaluative strategies employing
information and communication technologies (ICT), which was tested
on students of medicine by an interdisciplinary team of teachers in
a new course. With the pedagogical strategy, a statistically significant
improvement was observed in the academic performance of the students,
with an increase in the mean grades that went from 3.61/5.00 to 3.95/5.00,
a decrease of the fail rate from 15.50% to 3.48%, and the development
of useful chemistry knowledge for the students during their training
and for their professional lives. Furthermore, the study became an
opportunity for collaborative learning among colleagues, favoring
ongoing training of teaching staff and pedagogical innovation in professional
learning communities.