Abstract:

Over the last two decades Medical Doctors have to face the need to be high qualified professionals with always updated competencies and practical skills. Learning on the Internet by the "e learning" method, fundamentally changed the way by which doctors can get information and be involved in educational activities designed to ensure their continuous medical education.
E-EDUMED is an transnational Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of Inovation project focused on improvement/updating/ equal chances to knowledge/ harmonization in training of medical specialists. It represents a continous medical education approach by interactive on-line education in consultancy with acreditated programme tutors, assuring a secured final evaluation. The project developed a complex Web site in English and partners languages and a virtual health educational center (http://www.e-edumed.ro/), providing on-line education and training materials by an interactive lifelong learning platform. 2 interactive training modules in ultrasound and nurses education and a module addressed to patients aiming to improve health culture were developed.
For the ultrasound module the selected approach is based on a modular architecture focused on three levels (PPT presentation, text, image). Content is structured in the best way to build gradual competences. For each module we developed packages containing a section with anatomical bases, clinical signs and pathological findings, ultrasound images and videos. The nurse module is designed to give nurses additional education to prepare her/him for advanced nursing practice and to respond to the actual demands in health care in the provision of primary health care to individuals, families but also to communities.
An E-Learning platform has been set up for the delivery of the online courses and to host the PBL repository.The e-learning platform hosts asynchronous online courses - educational materials in a traditional style of presentation, PPT and course notes (text and images), questions and tests associated with each section, multimedia lessons that include sections with commented video images. Also the platform includes synchronous online courses - courses implemented in the virtual class e- EDUMED allowing a tutor via the Internet to bring together a group of students in real time. The teacher can present materials (case studies, moving images, making complete ultrasound) and can receive information and feedback from students. PowerPoint presentations are also available. Schedule and topics courses will be announced in advance and students can enroll.
Claroline is the open source E-Learning platform implemented for the delivery of the online course and host the Virtual Classroom (PBL repository).
Learning pathway has been realized through an innovative methodological model combining both theoretical and practical aspects, in order to enhance the learning skills based on the study of real cases thanks to the Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach implemented into a virtual environment (virtual classrooms). The learning path area is composed by different modules, as many as foreseen by the didactic strategy. Within each module, different type and number of learning objects that can be considered as elementary bulks of learning (Multimedia lessons, Video lessons and Quizzes).
The project will support Medical Institutes to grow exploiting and following the changes of contexts and environment where they operate.

Keywords:

Medical education, medical e-learning, problem based learning, ultrasound education, nurse education, patient education.