'Virtual medical school'

A feasibility study is now underway into a revolutionary approach to training the next century's doctors. The ambitious initiative, led by the University of Dundee and involving all five Scottish medical schools proposes a virtual medical school using the latest advances in e-learning and technology.

An International Virtual Medical School (IVIMEDS) would pool expertise and make the most effective use of new learning technology to give students the highest quality medical education in a flexible way.

Professor Ronald Harden, director of the centre for medical education explains how IVIMEDS could work: "A virtual medical school would not replace face to face on-site learning but would blend with these approaches using paper-based learning as well as internet and DVD s to get the best out of all. It would ensure that the right learning is available for the student at the right time and in the right place."

Students could be based in hospitals or at home in addition to medical schools. Wherever they were placed they would have access to teaching by the best specialists in a given field - not just the best that their particular medical school has to offer. Such a system could mean savings for students as well as medical schools and could help counteract the "brain drain" of medical students leaving developing countries to gain their education elsewhere, possibly never to return.

Professor Harden: "E-learning will encourage students to take more responsibility for directing their own learning. It will provide opportunities for students to individualise their learning to their own needs - exploring areas of special interest in more depth and calling up support material where necessary. The emphasis will be on interaction with the content material and explicit learning outcomes. Peer to peer learning and the development of a 'virtual learning community' will help avoid the 'lonely learner' syndrome and there will also be unique opportunities to work in groups which cross institutional, national and cultural boundaries.

"Students will have access to the views of a range of experts in a field via audio links and visuals and the possibility of video streaming. But face to face learning will also play an important part including clinical placements."

The medical schools of the Universities of Dundee, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews are committed to collaboration in exploring the possibilities and potential of the virtual school. They have been joined by leading medical schools in the UK, North America and Australasia who are lending their support.

Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Knowledge have added their financial backing to the initial studies and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council have put £90,000 into the feasibility study which is expected to be complete in six months.

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