Moodle platform: a necessary resource for the learning of Mathematics in the medical sciences
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

 

Moodle platform: a necessary resource for the learning of Mathematics in the medical sciences

 

Plataforma Moodle: un recurso necesario para el aprendizaje de la Matemática en las ciencias médicas

 

 

Jaime Cruañas Sospedra1, Verónica Milagros Peñalver Rodríguez2, Héctor Montes de Oca3

1 Havana University of Medical Sciencies. Cuba. E-mail: jacru@infomed.sld.cu
2 Havana University of Medical Sciencies. Cuba. E-mail: veronica@fallende.sld.cu
3 Havana University of Medical Sciencies. Cuba. E-mail: montesdeoca@fallende.sld.cu

 

 

MeSH: internet, education, distance, information technology, medical sciences, education, medical.

DeCS: internet, educación a distancia, tecnología de la información, ciencias médicas, educación médica.

 

 

Dear editor:

In «Dr. Salvador Allende» Faculty of Medical Sciences at Havana University of Medical Sciences, the Teaching Department of Health Technology groups the careers of Bachelor in Odontological Prosthesis and Imaging and the profiles of Technicians in Electromedicine, Pharmaceutical Services, Radiology, Odontological Care, Surveillance and Antivectorial Control and Vector Control.

Mathematics is given in all the profiles of technicians who enter ninth grade and in the systematic evaluations of the subject, carried out in previous courses, the results obtained were not satisfactory. The causes are multiple and in particular are related to the students' previous knowledge to face the contents of these programs of study, because it is a known fact that the success of each learning modality depends on it.1

These conditions encompass not only certain knowledge, abilities and skills, but also convictions, attitudes, habits and character properties. This complex environment is called the "starting level" and exerts a decisive influence on the course and outcome of that learning modality.2

  • Therefore, the teacher must know the "starting level" of his students to achieve the learning objectives, and their assurance means to expose them to:3
  • The general preconditions for stimulating the habit of reading and positive attitudes towards work and collective behavior.
  • The pre-conditions typical of Mathematics in order to master the fundamental techniques of work (for example the solution of exercises).
  • Specific and necessary knowledge and power, because in practice it is possible to observe cases in which it is very difficult for the teacher to treat the new complex of subjects, or to guaranty the achievement of the learning objectives because the students have non expected deficiencies in these respects.

This situation is not exclusive of this faculty, but is a reality that affects the national system of Junior and Senior High Education in general. Ninth graders carry deficiencies related to basic operations, reading habits, and teaching tasks solving. For this reason, the authors have proposed the design of activities to support mathematics learning using Moodle resources to help eradicate the problems of prior knowledge needed (assurance of the "starting level") in them.

Moodle, as a virtual learning environment, is a space with broad didactic possibilities in which the student interface is simple, integrative and allows collaborative learning.4 In the initial stage, the authors intend to develop activities so that teachers of the Mathematics specialty interact with the virtual learning environment and validate them with their experiences. Subsequently, a second stage will be developed with the students to solve the problems of previous knowledge, necessary in the learning of the subjects contained in the Mathematics programs.

The authors who subscribe this letter have presented this teaching aid in events such as the science and technology forum of the "Salvador Allende" Faculty of Medical Sciences and they wish that its publication be evaluated as useful for the knowledge and the opening of a necessary debate among readers, it is necessary to socialize it in order to improve the teaching process using the resources of Moodle in the teaching of Mathematics in medical sciences.

 

Declaration of interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

 

BIBLIOGRAHYCAL REFERENCES

1. Comisión Nacional de Carrera. Plan de Estudios. La Habana: Facultad de Tecnología de la Salud; 2010.

2. Henríquez Pino Santos PC, Sánchez Pérez L, Cruz Guzmán M. Una aproximación a la práctica educativa de la Cátedra Universitaria del Adulto Mayor en La Habana. Rev Cubana de Educación Superior [Internet]. 2015 [citado 12 May 2015];34(3):[aprox. 12 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0257 -43142015000300008&lng=es&tlng=es

3. González Sánchez J. Los niveles de conocimiento: El Aleph en la innovación curricular. Innov Educ [Internet]. 2014 [citado 15 May 2015];14(65):[aprox. 10 p.]. Disponible en: http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1665 -26732014000200009&lng=es&tlng=es

4. Maury-Sintjago EA, Pereira-Centurión T, Labbé-Gibert M, Sepúlveda P, Valdebenito C. Caracterización del uso de la plataforma MOODLE por estudiantes de ciencias de la salud. EDUMECENTRO [Internet]. 2015 [citado 20 May 2015];7(1):[aprox. 13 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2077-28742015000100002&lng=es

 

 

Submitted. June, 10 2015
Accepted. November, 29 2016.

 

 

Jaime Cruañas Sospedra. Havana University of Medical Sciencies. Cuba. E-mail: jacru@infomed.sld.cu

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