The Use of the "Endocrine Circuit" as an Active Learning Methodology to Aid in the Understanding of the Human Endocrine System

The search for more efficient teaching methodologies is a great challenge for Brazilian educators, since most classes are still traditional (theoretical) and have little student involvement during the learning process. Active learning methodologies, where students play a central role in the learning...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advances in physiology education 2020-06, Vol.44 (2), p.124-130
Main Authors: Zangerolamo, Lucas, Soares, Moreira, de Oliveira Rosa, Lucas Rodolfo, Santos, Karina Rodrigues, Bronczek, Gabriela Alves, Marconato-Júnior, Emílio, Carneiro, Everardo Magalhães, de Lima Barbosa-Sampaio, Helena Cristina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Active Learning
Brazil
Comprehension
Educational Measurement - methods
Endocrine system
Endocrine System - physiology
Foreign Countries
Human Body
Humans
Instructional Effectiveness
Learning
Learning Processes
Physiology
Physiology - education
Pretests Posttests
Problem-Based Learning - methods
Science Activities
Teaching Methods
Undergraduate Students
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Summary:The search for more efficient teaching methodologies is a great challenge for Brazilian educators, since most classes are still traditional (theoretical) and have little student involvement during the learning process. Active learning methodologies, where students play a central role in the learning process, are proving to be more effective and interesting when it comes to acquiring knowledge. Thus we decided to develop an innovative technique for teaching Human Endocrine Physiology, called "Endocrine Circuit." The circuit consisted of eight stations in which students were asked to organize a scheme with cards to answer a specific question about a gland or tissue with endocrine relevance. The effectiveness of the developed activity was validated through a pretest-posttest design, in which the students had to answer a 10-question test. We found out that, after the Endocrine Circuit application, students showed an improvement in the percentage of correct answers for 7 out of 10 questions contained in the questionnaire (P [less than or equal to] 0.05). In addition, the activity showed positive outcomes regarding student's engagement in this study, besides showing to be more efficient than the Brazilian traditional theoretical classes.
ISSN:1043-4046
1522-1229
DOI:10.1152/advan.00123.2019