Avaliação formativa na aprendizagem baseada em problemas: fortalezas e fragilidades

Abstract

Introduction: Medicine courses have adapted to the new National Curricular Guidelines, using active teaching-learning methodologies, among them, Problem- Based Learning (PBL). In PBL, students are expected to learn with autonomy and, in this context, the way the students are evaluated should also be observed, especially in their formative dimension. Objectives: Identify weaknesses and strengths in the application of formative evaluation in the PBL tutorial sessions in a medical course; analyze the functionality of the used instrument; clarify the understanding of the students and teachers about this evaluation. Material and Methods: A case study was conducted with focus groups of 29 students and 14 teachers from a private higher education institution. The material was analyzed according to content analysis, thematic modality from the perspective of Grounded Theory. Result: Thematic analysis resulted in four categories (evaluate to learn, feedback: for good and bad, change of traditional culture in education, use of evaluation tool) and 12 subcategories. The participants considered the formative evaluation as important for the teaching-learning process and understood the characteristics involved in this evaluation. The obstacles described were the lack of culture for its practice, the lack of preparation of tutors, the difficulty in time managing for its execution and the doubts in the institutional instrument use. The results comprised a framework using Grounded Theory. Conclusion: Teachers, students and educational institution committed to the formative evaluation are essential for its accomplishment. The shift to a self-rated perspective and student independence requires collective construction. There is a need for ongoing education and exchange of experiences. The reflection generated by the discussion during the focus groups helped to modify items of the evaluation instrument