Teaching tasks to develop research skills from the subject Research Methodology

Background: the scientific-research activity of the students constitutes a process that moves from the simple to the complex, which demands the elaboration of teaching tasks that motivate them and facilitate the fulfillment of the objectives of the research methodology. Objective: to develop teaching tasks to enhance research skills in students from the subject Research Methodology in the third year of the Health Information System career. Methods: a development research was carried out at the Faculty of Technology-Nursing of Villa Clara University of Medical Sciences, during the 2016-2017 academic year. Theoretical methods were used: analysis-synthesis, inductive-deductive and systemic-structural; Empirical: documentary review, interview to key informants, and questionnaire for teachers and students; and mathematical-statistics for absolute and relative values. Results: the study programs pose important research requirements as an instrument in some final evaluations of the subjects that comprise them; however, at the end of the teaching of the Research Methodology course, insufficient development of research skills was evidenced by the students who recognized that they did not feel sufficiently prepared to investigate on their own, which was corroborated by their professors, so teaching tasks were developed to solve the aforementioned problem. Conclusions: the teaching tasks orient on the subject to which they refer and their objectives. They were valued by criteria of specialists as appropriate for their relevance, methodological structure and feasibility to be applied.