Comparison of academic learning with tradicional teaching methodology and problem based learning: experience report

Introduction: There are different teaching methodologies implemented in medical schools in Brazil. While in traditional knowledge is transmitted from a superior to students, in PBL (Problem Based Learning) learning is self-directed, where students are responsible for identifying gaps in their knowledge and seeking information relevant to their medical training. The traditional method relies on solid classes, in which knowledge is transmitted to the student without contextualizing its application in real life; there is no stimulation of clinical reasoning, reflection and it relies on the objective memorization of medical knowledge. The active methodologies allow the use of the content taught so that the student develops the skills required for the formation of a good professional, including teamwork, self-direction, autonomy, critical thinking and communication. Objectives: Compare, through a report, academic learning with two different ethodologies: the traditional method and the Problem-Based Learning method. Methods: The report is based on the experiences of medical students from different universities who have experienced both methodologies. Results: Despite the initial difficulty in adapting, the change in the educational paradigm, focusing on building knowledge and not on passively transmitting it, makes PBL a much more effective way when the process of obtaining knowledge is analyzed and, above all, its application in the form of skills and acquired skills. This differentiation is due to the protagonism given to the student who assumes the position of active subject in their learning process. Moreover, by also transitioning the assessment model, including formative assessment and valuing it, the PBL ends up strengthening not only the technical skills, typical of medical knowledge, but also the behavioral skills that are increasingly important in medical practice. Conclusions: The main point in common in the students' experiences was the difficulty of adapting when transitioning from one methodology to another, since they are based on different principles. In this way, the experience of a group of students regarding teaching methodologies, despite the different personal contexts, converged to the perception of PBL as of great value for teaching and medical training, whether with technical content or in the development of skills, attitudes and professional skills in a personalized way to the needs of that group. Furthermore, we recommend that students' perceptions also be taken into account in research that aims to compare both methods.