Academic league
In Brazil, the academic leagues are associations of students of different years of medical graduation who seek to deepen their knowledge, orienting themselves according to the principles of the “university tripod”: teaching, research and extension. In general, the leagues are arranged into different areas, like neurology, trauma, oncology, pediatrics and cardiology.
The academic leagues have similarities to the learning communities found in American and Canadian universities. However, the academic leagues are small groups, with the students responsible for the organizing and planning processes, with the assistance of a teacher. The activities occur regularly throughout the curricular semester, usually in unusual schedules, involving students from different years and even from different medical universities. The academic leagues are frequently discussed in seminars and conferences, such as Brazilian Congress of Medical Education, which promote scientific development and enable the exchange of experience between peers. Although, there is no clear concept about them.
Motivations and critics
They are extracurricular activities, so participation highlights the students' motivation to active pursuit of knowledge. The academic leagues have optional participation, being environments theoretically free of academic formalities, with a system of self-management of learning and have a mitigation of the classic hierarchical environment of the teacher-student relationship. Thus, it is understood that learning within them becomes more enjoyable. Some Brazilian authors, however, list critiques to the academic leagues. The possible subversion of the formal curricular structure, reproduction of academic defects, early specialization, the risk of the practice of medicine without guidance and supervision, and the emphasis on teaching and research to the detriment of university extension, reduced to specific campaigns and activities.There are many motivations that lead students to participate in an academic league: need to approach clinical practice, deficiencies in the curriculum, search for social recognition, among others. Therefore, it is to be expected that there is immense variability among the academic leagues, showing that because it is a student initiative and based on an initial problem, each group of students finds ways to deal with such problems.