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LaMedica
Development of a networked, multimedia, extensible, and granular learning and training system for medicine
LaMedica is an Internet-capable learning system for medicine aiming at different target groups among medical specialists as well as laymen. Cross-references within the learning system enable users to experience integration of several medical areas, in order to view and understand interconnections and interactions of the human organism not only from the point of view of one area, but considering it as a whole.
Based on a didactically integrated concept LaMedica is meant to support different ways of learning as well as specific learning goals. In order to comply with different levels of knowledge and education among users, all contents are available on various levels of complexity. A specific level of complexity can be chosen by users themselves or preselected by teachers or lecturers. With the help of customised interactive learning and exercising units, tests and quizzes learners can acquire the required knowledge as well as check their progress.
The system is topically structured in four main areas and includes – like a real university – a clinic, a university library, a lecture room and a cafeteria. These areas support, each in its way, different ways and aspects of learning that are to be found and have been successfully employed in medicine. In addition to that a learning system like LaMedica allows the learning process to be shaped simpler and more effective, because different aspects (patient cases, theoretical knowledge, know-how) can be integrated and provided regardless of location.
Each main area´ s core content is based on a specific template structure that facilitates a specific way of learning. Users can, for instance, read or print multimedia contents depicted in a multimedia textbook of the virtual library. Moreover, examination questions allow users to check their progress. In the clinic area users can directly affect the progression of simulated cases. Depending on the decisions taken the simulations proceed user-based and may well have varying outcomes. That way users experience the consequences of their actions and learn about the ways they can influence the progression of a clinical instance. In the lecture room users can acquire complex knowledge by watching and listening to videos, animations, and presentations.
Mediothek (media library)
The virtual library, called Mediothek, contains a textbook – MediCarta – and an Online Journal. Structured according to the main systems of the body in chapters and sub-chapters, MediCarta is a multimedia book covering the whole field of medicine. It can be navigated quite intuitively (hyperlinks to other chapters or books, menu driven or free navigation to relevant subjects) and mainly contains texts and corresponding visual media (videos, figures, animations). On the one hand it serves as a reference and educational book, on the other hand, by allowing direct access relating to special subjects from the clinic or the lecturers´ area, it provides background information for other learning units. In this context the specific representation of real situations allows to implement case-specific expertise that can rarely be found in a textbook.
Online-Journal
Like MediCarta the Online-Journal is multimedial, too. It can be navigated very much like MediCarta and imparts special medical knowledge on a scientific level. In order to make it easier for users to navigate their way and to provide them with comprehensive knowledge, subjects and contents of both parts are hyperlinked. It is thus possible to easily shift from one book to the other.
Clinic
The clinics archive contains exemplary patient files comprising the particular patient´s history, the anamnesis, diagnostic data, the aetiopathology as well as the therapy applied. This learning unit draws on case-based examples allowing users to keep track of the succeeding and entwining steps in diagnostics and therapy. The diagnostics area aims at imparting knowledge in diagnostics, skills in adopting diagnostic routines and examinations as well as the ability to judge diagnostic findings independently and in the context of the respective patient´s data. Users are here mostly provided with pictographic material and can practice difficult diagnostic routines on various levels. In the emergency room users can learn about the mental process of matching theoretical-pathophysiological knowledge with the patient´s diagnostic findings considering also aspects of differential diagnoses as well as finding solutions under pressure of time. Here users are guided through a simulated patient case, beginning with a prima facie impression up to the final diagnosis and necessary therapeutical steps. The learning-unit "Conference" demonstrates the most important aspects of a patient case and requests users to interactively map out strategies for this particular patient´s therapy (case-based reasoning). Based on patient files users are also expected to search for interdisciplinary approaches of therapy. The aim here is to train reliability in decision making and decision management – a skill that doctors must learn to have a good command of during professional training. Based on the principle of cased-based-teaching in the operating room users have to work on surgery settings from various fields of surgery and invasive therapy generated from the media-database.
Lecture room
Virtual lectures allow students to work on lectures developed and held by medical lecturers or to attend lectures at home via the Internet. In addition, media from the LaMedica-media pool can be integrated any time into real lectures via the Internet. Thus lecturers can immediately endorse their lectures with media (videos, animations, figures, 3-D-objects) or whole presentations. The "virtual examinations"-area allows generating exemplary or real exams that then have to be worked on online by the students. The application of this examination module will be an important factor for real examinations. By means of an editor lecturers can enter tasks or questions, grades and assessments online.
Authoring system
Contents and technologies are filed in a database on a powerful LaMedica-Server with the help of various easy-to-handle editing tools (authoring system). This authoring system is a proprietary programme especially developed for LaMedica. As contents can be entered into the authoring system from all over Germany over the Internet, the learning system can be continuously extended and updated. Within the media pool media can be managed and edited centrally.
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