MILITARY HIGHER EDUCATION

a study about the viability of using active methodologies in a new scenery of teaching at AFA

Abstract

This article is about the viability of using active teaching methodologies in the military higher education at AFA (The Brazilian Air Force Academy). The social isolation, a consequence of the pandemic, has been requiring urgent adaptations in the teaching and learning process. This study is based on a research application composed by 178 cadets from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Squadron and by 38 professors who taught general field disciplines during the 1st semester of 2021, via Google forms and WhatsApp. It was adopted a bibliographic method research and a field research. The results could show that the changes in the higher education have been happening in a moderated way, demanding urgent adaptations in the teaching-learning process from AFA, to continue the development of online classes and accomplish the academic calendar. Although, it will be necessary many technological investments, for instance, the infrastructure and professional training, aiming significant advances. The adoption of active methods added to traditional methods which had already been used, will generate greater engagement of the cadets, therefore, it is necessary to identify the cadets’ predominant learning styles to realize how is the interaction among the cadets’ learning context and the teachers’ teaching context. The Military Higher Education at AFA has been changed and there is viability to advance in the actions which can improve the active methodologies. In this way, this study aims to contribute to advanced actions which have been happening at AFA’s Teaching Division, in a practical and applicable way.