More And Better
Solvin’ It
We are currently witnessing a paradigm shift in medical education. New methods, new dynamics and new learning techniques have been gaining momentum in the area of pedagogy, and are quite clear in the neologisms we've been borrowing from the English language: feedback, student centred-learning, assessment… and peer-teaching. The latter is particularly important for the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (FMUL), because it has already been implemented and continues to expand within the scope of an initiative with 3 years of existence, whose 4th edition is now in place: we are talking about the Solvin'It project..
It came out in 2015, as an idea. A peer-teaching initiative, promoted by the Student Association of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (AEFML), aimed at organizing sessions within the scope of different subject areas, designed by students and for students, in an informal environment without evaluations - peer teaching.
Since then, Solvin'It has never stopped growing: from 330 students in the first year to 1234 last year. Initially, it was focused on 2 subject areas, a number that grew to 4 in 17/18, covering the two academic semesters. The impact of an initiative of this magnitude for students' learning and for the pedagogical culture of the FMUL are undeniable, as explained in Acta Médica Portuguesa - Student in 2017.
It was in this context and with the aim of promoting both the continuity and the expansion of the project that, in 2018, the AEFML and the FMUL established a partnership to support Solvin'It. This partnership entered into force in the 18/19 academic year and has proven to be very positive, allowing a greater proximity between these two bodies, namely thanks to the Student Support Office, as well as a more efficient organization and logistics management and to the follow-up and promotion of the project at all academic levels.
In this academic year, the project has been taking major steps forward, with a new image, a growing dissemination, the restructuring of the themes that were being addressed, and the expansion to themes such as physiology and microbiology. There was also an increase in the number of tutors, in order to foster a greater involvement of the entire academic community and further develop the pedagogical training of the student-monitors.
At the institutional level, we created a co-coordination pool and a student assistance service, as a way to streamline the organization of the project and bring the students closer to it.
The Solvin'It sessions, which have been taking place since October, have exceeded the expectations and the attendance figures have been quite positive, and are on track to breaking the records achieved in previous academic years.
This year there was also an emphasis on a new area of the project: small groups aimed at working more closely with the participants. A class has been set up to work in the area of anatomy, the sessions are currently taking place, and the initiative has been showing promising results. We are now awaiting further developments with good expectations.
Overall, the future looks promising and our expectations remain high. So, there are prospects for further growth, a situation that is simultaneously challenging and rewarding, because of the great proximity that is established with the students in a project of this kind. An irreverent project of teaching, engagement and mutual aid.
The Solvin'It project.
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António Velha, coordinator of the Solvin'It project 18/19