Design and Evaluation of an Innovative Pedagogical Strategy for Undergraduate Medical Students Learning Chemistry

Abstract

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.