Student implementation of MACH methodology increases the level of learning of cardiovascular physiology in third‐semester medical career UAMZH‐UASLP, Mexico

Abstract

In the Medical career, both for students and teachers, physiology courses have been a big challenge. In 2015, Trujillo et al., developed a teaching model of physiological topics known as “MACH”, which was structured based on 4 consecutive points: Methods (M), Analogies (A), Context (C), and How (H), designed to improved instructor's explanations of biological concepts. During 2017, a handbook of 6 laboratory practices was approved by UAMZH‐UASLP corresponding authorities, whose purpose was the student's insertion to the vascular physiology concepts assigned within the analytical program using the MACH model (third semester of Medical School UAMZH‐UASLP). The sections were timed and elaborated by the students in a virtual platform (schoology) under precise indications of each area (M, A and C)., only the H section was face‐to‐face (immersed in the laboratory), always after they completed the other 3 sections and included short‐time experimental procedures attempted to reaffirm the knowledge previously developed by themselves. The percentage of correct answers corresponding to the first partial exam (cardiovascular physiology) of the semester ago‐dec 2017 (control, n=33) and ago‐dec 2018 (MACH, n=31) were analyzed. In both cases, the test consisted of 30 multiple‐choice questions (50% direct answers and 50% integration answers) derived from the topics corresponding to the analytical program.ResultsMACH laboratory practices increases the percentage of correct answers (45.2%) compared with the control group (36.4%) associated with cardiovascular physiology (unpaired t‐student p= 0.05) in the first partial exam. Also, verification of differences between means (two tail z‐test) showed a significate increase in the average values between groups (control= 5.31, MACH = 5.73, two tails z‐value = 1.95, p = 0.003).DiscussionIn our Institution, the multiple‐choice test remains the method of choice to discern the degree of learning achieved by the student. Finding an increase in the successes achieved in the MACH group, suggests that this strategy could impact on the level of learning and/or understanding of physiology concepts. It is our interest to continue the application of this model and we intend to extend it to the other remaining sections of the Physiology course Medical School UAMZH‐UASLP.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported by PRODEP project 511‐6/17‐7930This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.