Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To evaluate applicability and acceptance of a computer-based teaching and learning tool in conventional medical students´ education. Methods: Conventional education systems, based on slide, video, or computer demonstration, are usually sequentially structured. As a consequence, case reports can only be demonstrated in a more or less straightforward manner, which does not reflect the complexitiy of the real patient - physician situation in an adequate way. The software solution presented here is based on Microsoft PowerPointTM (PPT), which realizes a customer-friendly presentation of various items, like text, graphics, images, video as well as sound clips and is therefore already widely used in (medical) education. Although offering some kind of decision process via "interactive buttons" or "hyperlinks", PPT is still principally based on a sequential structure. In the Tuebingen Education System (TES) an additional user interface (realized in "Visual Basic") is integrated to PPT in order to interactively select any kind of diagnostic procedure or information in an arbitrary sequence accessible by five "pull-up" menus. By that way, written information, image data as well as individual windows for input of simple text (e.g. indicating signs, differential diagnoses) are presented. The individual diagnostic pathway and the induced costs are electronically documented in parallel. Results: In order to evaluate its applicability and acceptance, TES was integrated into a conventional ophthalmological lecture (8th half-term of medical education). Evaluation of 130 consecutive, standardized evaluation forms using German school marks, ranging from 1 (excellent) to 6 (insufficient) yielded positive ratings (median; inter-quartile range) for TES in regard to e.g. every-day applicability (2; 1), expenditure documentation (2; 1) and inclination (2; 1) to use. Conclusion: TES is an easy-to-use software for both, students and teachers, on their way towards a realistic, practice-oriented, interactive education and knowledge transfer.
Keywords: 486 neuro-ophthalmology: diagnosis • 511 perimetry • 625 visual impairment: neuro-ophthalmological disease