PBL method in the formative process in postgraduate courses

An evaluation from students' perception

Abstract

Several teaching and learning methods, alternative to the traditional method of content transmission and reception, are being proposed and discussed by researchers, aiming to improve the professionals' formation. One of the methods being applied in various educational areas and at different levels of education is the Problem Based Learning (PBL). However, there is still not much evidence about the advantages and disadvantages of applying this method in the formative process of students in postgraduate courses. Consequently, the objective of this work is to evaluate the perception of postgraduate students of a Stricto Sensu course after experiencing the PBL method in their formative disciplines. Through the application of a questionnaire, the perceptions of students who used the PBL method and the traditional teaching method, respectively, were collected in two disciplines of the Interdisciplinary Master's Degree in Sustainability, from a private university in the state of São Paulo - Brazil. The results show the feeling at the beginning and during the learning process using PBL; the perception of the PBL when compared with the traditional teaching method; and the perception of specific skills developed with the PBL. Finally, it can be said that PBL is a teaching method with broad potential in the learning process of a postgraduate course, both for the possibility of building knowledge autonomously, and for the development of specific competences and skills related to postgraduate study and research activities.