Objectives: 

In the School of Health Sciences, Human Physiology is taught in all degrees offered. Then, the teachers of the area decided to do a pilot study in a total of five subjects in all degrees (Pharmacy, Nursing, and Physiotherapy).

Materials: 

Having discussed the appropriateness of different methodologies, the activities implemented were selected to guide students to acquire knowledge as well as to develop specific technical skills, and to encourage student participation in their own learning process. The activities conducted and analysed were: concept maps, jigsaws, wikis, problem-based learning, and simulation of congress.

Results: 

Every student did individually a concept map with "CmapTools". Better done in small groups, jigsaw was the most dynamic activity. The participation and contribution in the wiki were very different among students, and problem-based learning was reported by students as the best way to integrate all the concepts of the subject. Congress simulation generated a good atmosphere in the classroom, which promoted learning and helped to overcome resistance from students to active participation. Moreover, scientific article reading helped students to develop the research skills, and also oral, writing and reading English skills.

Conclusions: 

The most difficult point in this project was the evaluation of each activity to find out their weaknesses and strengths. Generally, most activities required a great coordination among teachers, increasing their efforts. Some activities were rejected by the students only due to the extra work that they supposed, although students qualifications were greatly improved. This process helped professors to improve teaching strategies in Physiology designed to mitigate formative deficits in their students.