Abstract:

In the post-covid-19 scenario, students arrived at higher education with some gaps in training and with a marked deficit in concentration ([1]). It thus became necessary to rethink the way classes were given and the methodologies used to motivate students and fill in some gaps in their basic training ([2], [3]). It was in this context that the experience presented here arose.
Given the students' profile and the serious gaps in knowledge they presented, it was decided to combine the TBL methodology with the traditional methodology, so that all students, even the weakest and most timid ones, could overcome their difficulties and succeed in their learning.
Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a teaching methodology in which the focus is on the student instead of on the teacher, in TBL the teacher is just a learning facilitator. According to Michaelsen and Sweet ([4]), some of the advantages that TBL can offer are increased student attendance, better academic performance, and an increase in teamwork. Students must prepare in advance for the face-to-face class, and this is one of the major problems with this methodology. If students do not prepare in advance, the following phases will not bring them much benefit. For students in the 1st year of higher education degrees, this individual preparation phase is often deficient, which makes the application of this methodology difficult ([5]).
In this experience, which was carried out in a curricular unit of numerical methods, each face-to-face class was divided into two blocks: in the first one the traditional methodology was used and in the second one the TBL methodology. Before the face-to-face classes, study material was made available to students through the Moodle platform, and at the beginning of each class, the teacher gave a brief presentation of the contents that would be worked on that week. The 2nd block began with an individual test so that students had the possibility to do a self-assessment about their understanding of the subjects that were addressed. After taking the individual test, without consultation, the students gathered in groups to perform the same test, now with consultation. While they were working in a group, the teacher's role was to follow the development of ideas and to help with doubts whenever requested. At the end of the class, the professor gave a brief explanation of the issues that had raised the most doubts among the students.
At the end of the semester, an anonymous survey was conducted to gauge the students' opinions. The vast majority, 81%, of the students reported that this new methodology helped them to maintain concentration and motivation and, therefore, it was a positive learning process. Although there is still no final data on the assessment rates for this academic year, as there is still an exam to be taken, the attendance rate for theoretical classes this year, 82%, has increased a lot when compared to the rate of the previous academic year, 25%. The same happened with the success rate of continuous assessment, this academic year 63% of students passed the continuous assessment and in the previous academic year, only 53% passed.
Although it is not possible to draw general conclusions from this experience, it seems to have worked and, as one student said,
“The surveys carried out in individual and group classes made it possible to relieve some of the pressure of exams and promote greater focus in the classroom.”

Keywords:

Mathematics teaching-learning, Pedagogical experience, Team Based Learning (TBL).