Maria da Graça Nicoletti Mizukami

Problem-based learning: a student evaluation of an implementation in postgraduate engineering education

This paper presents the student evaluation of a problem-based learning (PBL) implementation in the postgraduate engineering curriculum of a public university in Brazil. This investigation adopts a qualitative and collaborative design, as suggested when the research objective is to study phenomena in their natural settings in terms of the meanings people bring to them and when the data collected cannot be statistically handled easily. To this end, an instructional method based on PBL principles and activities was implemented in an administration theory course during one semester. The data utilized in this paper derive from participant observation and an end-of-term questionnaire in which the students were asked to evaluate the instructional method, its advantages and disadvantages, comment on some of its features, and give improvement suggestions. The student evaluations show that the approach used was very satisfactory and may have promoted the acquisition of knowledge as well as the development of some desirable skills and attitudes, such as teamwork and communication skills and respect for divergent ideas. Despite the favourable outcomes, the conclusion about the viability of using this instructional method in the context in question still depends on further consideration of some institutional and teacher-related issues.

An experiment with PBL in higher education as appraised by the teacher and students

PBL (Problem-based Learning) has gained worldwide acceptance as an effective instructional approach that helps students to acquire knowledge as well as develop desired professional skills and attitudes. Contrary to other conventional methods that use problems after theory has been introduced, PBL uses a problem to initiate, focus and motivate the learning of new concepts. This paper presents and discusses the students’ and the teacher’s viewpoints on the implementation of PBL in an Administration Theory course of an engineering curriculum at a public university in Brazil. The data were collected by means of unstructured interviews, participant observation and an open-ended questionnaire responded by the students at the end of the course. The results show that despite increasing the workload for the teacher and the students, both evaluated PBL positively because it is more motivating and dynamic.

A profissionalização do oficial da Aeronáutica: os instrutores militares

This article comes from a doctoral research and aims at discussing military education, especially about the education of military instructors within Air Force Academy (AFA).This qualitative study is based on the purpose of intervention, with a collaborative group, is in the initial phase and focuses the military instructors. For this purpose, in this work documents and the theoretical contribution that supports theoretically the military education are presented, specifically the concept of teaching and its application, besides discussing about the professionals that take part of it. In addition, we seek in the literature a support for understanding the teaching and the learning of the military reality in focus and relevant elements for the “teaching and learning” process of in order to obtain advances in the practice of the professionals involved in this work and the success in student learning. Finally, it is specifically dealt about the teaching knowledge and practice which implies the debate about a knowledge base for teaching and the reflective process, necessary to all teachers and, in this case, how it affects the professionalization of military instructors.