The Visual Practice: the Infographic as a Facilitating Tool for Learning in Medical School

Abstract

Introduction: In the context of medical school, the development of methodologies that stimulate the students’ search for learning, autonomy and creativity are essential for medical education in Brazil. The study aims to describe the construction of infographics as a pedagogical proposal for the learning of organic human aging processes by medical students. Method: Medical students attending the 4th period at a Higher Education Institution built infographics, as a requirement for the practical content of the Aging Process module. The static-type infographic was adopted, following criteria such as the definition of the target audience; definition of the objective; choice of topic; selection of the most relevant information (focus); direct and accessible language; organized information; choices of color palettes and style and; infographic sketch. The entire creation process was supervised by the teacher in charge of the project, and evaluation criteria were previously established. Results: The class was divided into seven groups, resulting in the production of an infographic with a specific topic per group. The human aging topics were: Degenerative Joint Diseases, Bone Weakness, Pneumonia in the Elderly, Acute Myocardial Infarction, Vascular Dementia, Atherosclerosis and Herpes Zoster. It is worth noting that in addition to the creation, each group presented the final product to the other colleagues, explaining each item included in the static infographic. Conclusions: We observed that the students satisfactorily met the proposed evaluation requirements, demonstrating their involvement in the construction of infographics and, above all, in simple, creative and objective learning, using a powerful visual tool. We also add that the printed material will be used as aid in the histology laboratory and in extramural activities.

Protótipo didático demonstra o efeito da pressão intracraniana sobre a pressão de perfusão cerebral

“…The model presented provides a didactic and interactive demonstration about the influence of ICP on CPP, including the possibility of analogy with the increased work of the heart muscle (an observation that can be perceived by the effort of the user and generates another point of reflection). Previous studies point to visual teaching strategies as a good learning resource, facilitating the acquisition of knowledge in medical education 16,17 . In this sense, the observation of the prototype functioning, allows the visualization of the cerebral perfusion dynamics and the acquisition of this knowledge through a visual memory, which is important, considering the difficulty of studying these phenomena in vivo, due to the anatomo-physiological complexity of the brain region and its difficult access.…”

Infográficos como tecnologia educacional direcionada à prevenção de infecções relacionadas à saúde: um relato de experiência

“…Pode ser usado em documentos técnicos que requeiram uma rápida e clara explicação 7 . Com o crescimento das tecnologias digitais, o uso de infográficos torna-se cada vez mais necessário e significativo, permitindo disponibilizar informações de forma facilitada 8 .…”