Resumo

TOASSI, Ramona Fernanda Ceriotti; SOUZA, Juliana Maciel de; BAUMGARTEN, Alexandre  e  ROSING, Cassiano Kuchenbecker. Curricular evaluation of higher education in dentistry: a discussion about the effects of curriculum changes on health care training in Brazil. Rev. ABENO [online]. 2012, vol.12, n.2, pp. 170-177. ISSN 1679-5954.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of the process of curricular change implemented in the dental school of a federal university in southern Brazil. The research method was mostly qualitative (case study). All students from the 1st to the 10th semester were invited to participate. Data collection involved analysis of documents and application of a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 statistical software, and the reports were interpreted by content analysis. A total of 360 students participated in the study (88.5% response rate), most of whom were females (69.2%), young adults (58.1% aged 17 to 22 years), single (96.4%) and without children (98.3%). A significant part of the students think that they are receiving a sound education that will allow them to enter the job market and are satisfied with their course. Among the potential benefits, students highlighted the current curriculum that emphasizes the humanization of healthcare and improvements in their training as a result of supervised internships in the Public Health System. Some weaknesses were identified in respect to parts of the curricular integration and also to the process of student performance assessment. Continuous and integrated evaluation of the institution's curriculum is recommended to allow it to be transformed and reconstructed as it is developed.

Palavras-chave : Curricular Evaluation; Curriculum; Dental Education; Education, Higher.