Abstract:

In a society in which the students seem increasingly unmotivated and with a low level of curiosity, it is almost indispensable the development of imaginative and creative ideas that allow the students acquire real knowledge. The traditional method of class in the university classroom does not manage to be attractive for all the students, therefore a practical experience that allows being in touch with the studied subject, could promote the learning and the curiosity in the student.

The learning based on the practice or on the experience ("learning by doing"), it is considered to be an active and motivational learning. This kind of learning allows to the students discovering knowledge by itself, across their own experience. With this type of training, the student construct a solid well founded knowledge, not based only on what it has been explained to them, but in their own experience. This way the student can understand the studied subject, promoting a long-term learning.

In this sense, to improve the teaching-learning experience, a few practices developed out of the classroom have been performed for the study of the cardiovascular system.

Before to the teaching experience, the students who voluntarily showed interest to take part in this educational strategy were selected. There took part 62 volunteers of the first course of the Degree in Food Science and Technology of the University of Granada.

Once explained the contents relating to the cardiovascular system in the traditional way in the university classroom, we performed the visit to an exhibition in the Park of Sciences of Granada, to improve and to complement the process of education-learning. We performed a dynamic based on small groups of students accompanied by Professors of the Department of Physiology, to optimize the use of the different interactive workshops. The interactive exhibition allowed us to deepen in the structure, composition and physiology of this system.

The visit was intended to link the knowledge acquired in the classroom with a practical component, which was allowing to increase the knowledge and to confirm those concepts learned of a most distended way. This allowed increasing the scientific curiosity of the students and small groups of debate were formed around the diverse workshops.

After the visit the students filled an anonymous survey that was trying to evaluate the complete learning process. They answered to diverse questions related with the knowledge gained on the cardiovascular system after their visit to the Park of the Sciences. They understood in a clearer way the complete functioning of the heart, and the exchange of nutrients and oxygen in the organism. In addition, the experience allowed increasing the number of examples related to the studied concepts, whereas before the teaching experience, they commented only those concepts and examples explained by the professor.

Most of the student participants indicated that the learning based on the practice and on their own experience out of the classroom, it was promoting collaborative links between the students. The motivation and interest of the students remained reflected by the number of questions that they did, which were very superior to those that habitually do in the classroom.

On the basis of the results observed, the assistance to centers of scientific spreading as the Park of the Sciences, in view of the interactive, multimedia and practical character that offers.

Keywords:

Technology of information and comunication (TIC), Practical Teaching, Multimedia resources, Cardiovascular system, Physiology.