Insertion of the Progress Test in a São Paulo Medicine course: report of a successful experience

Abstract: Introduction: The Medical Course Progress Test (TPMed) has been used by medical schools that have implemented curricular changes, with, for example, community-based/oriented curricula, problem-based learning and competency-oriented curricula, in addition to some graduate programs or isolated disciplines. Based on this premise, the present report proposes to describe the experience in the TPMed implementation process in our Institution and student participation in it. Experience report: Given the importance of the TPMed, the Medicine course at Universidade Santo Amaro (UNISA) joined the SP1 Consortium, with our experience beginning in 2018. The inclusion of UNISA in the TPMed was driven by the school’s participation in the Brazilian Congress of Medical Education (COBEM), and its subsequent association with the Consortium (SP1). Numerous initiatives to raise awareness of the institution’s faculty and students, with the collaboration of the São Paulo Regional Board of the Brazilian Association of Medical Education (ABEM) resulted in 96.74% student participating in the TPMed in 2018, 97.12% in 2019, 98.85% in 2020 and 86.10% in 2021. Regarding student performance, we found a progressive increase in correct answers over the six years of the undergraduate course, 32.63% as an average score in the first semester and 62.87% in the twelfth semester. Discussion: The positive influence of the TPMed on student learning was UNISA’s motivation to overcome the challenges and mobilize the students in the first year in which the test was applied, corroborating their substantial participation. There was a drop in adherence to the ABEM National Progress Test - 2021 by UNISA students, possibly due to technical problems that occurred in its online application. Conclusion: The positive effect of the TPMed was clearly observed in UNISA. This directed work, which emphasized the relevance of the TPMed, is essential for its recognition, and resulted in a strong adhesion of our academics in this evaluation.

摘要：引言：医学课程进度测试（TPMed）已被实施课程改革的医学院校广泛采用，涵盖基于社区/社区导向课程、问题导向学习以及能力导向课程等模式，同时也应用于部分研究生项目或独立学科。基于此背景，本报告旨在阐述我校在TPMed实施过程中的实践经验，以及学生的参与情况。

经验报告：鉴于TPMed的重要价值，圣阿马罗大学（Universidade Santo Amaro, UNISA）医学专业加入了SP1联盟，相关实践于2018年正式启动。我校加入TPMed项目的契机为参与巴西医学教育大会（Brazilian Congress of Medical Education, COBEM），并随后与该联盟建立合作关系。在巴西医学教育协会（Brazilian Association of Medical Education, ABEM）圣保罗地区分会的协作下，我校开展了多项面向教职工与学生的宣传推广活动，最终实现2018年TPMed学生参与率达96.74%，2019年为97.12%，2020年为98.85%，2021年为86.10%。在学生表现方面，我们观察到本科六年学制周期内，学生的正确答题率呈逐步提升趋势：第一学期平均得分率为32.63%，第十二学期则达到62.87%。

讨论：TPMed对学生学习的积极影响，是我校在首次实施该测试的第一年便克服挑战、动员学生参与的核心动力，这也印证了学生的高参与度。2021年我校学生参与ABEM全国进度测试的比例出现下滑，这可能与该测试在线实施过程中出现的技术故障有关。

结论：TPMed的积极效果在圣阿马罗大学得到了显著体现。本次针对性的宣传推广工作着重强调了TPMed的应用价值，对其获得广泛认可起到了关键作用，同时也推动我校师生高度参与此项评估活动。