AMEE Berlin 2002 Programme

In 1998, the board of the Leiden University Medical
Center decided to introduce information and
communication technology (ICT) in the medical
curriculum to prepare students for their professional
life as a medical doctor. To attain this goal, special
facilities for students have been created in 2000 to buy
a laptop computer. For students, participation in the
laptop-project is voluntary and only first-year students
are allowed to join. Participants pay only one-third of
Session 7B Problem-based learning
7B1 Measuring success: partnership in
evaluation (work in progress report)
P O’Neill, D Graham, A Garden, S. Watmough*, J Brown
University of Liverpool, Curricular Development Unit,
Department of Primary Care, 2nd Floor Thornley Building,
Brownlow Street, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK
An innovative collaborative evaluation project is taking
place between the Universities of Liverpool and
Manchester and the Mersey Deanery. The goal is to
assess whether the new problem-based learning
curricula at Liverpool and Manchester are producing
Pre-registration House Officers who are capable of
meeting the competencies expected by the General
Medical Council and the National Health Service.
Preliminary work at Liverpool has involved
questionnaire surveys of Educational Supervisors and
Pre-registration House Officers. Mersey Deanery has
delivered questionnaires to Pre-registration House
Officers in the area. University of Manchester has
compiled data on cohorts from the old curriculum
whilst continuing to work with Pre-registration House
Officers who have graduated from the new curriculum.
Further questionnaires, focus groups and interviews
will be held to gauge differences between old and new
curricula cohorts and assess the educational aspects of
the PRHO year.
7B2 A new PBL course with an
examination with standardised
patients at the end
S Schewe*, C Mueller and R Putz
Medizinische Poliklinik, Klinikum der Universitat, Ludwig-
Maximilians-Universitat, Pettenkoferstr 8a, D-80336 Munich,
GERMANY
A new problem-based learning (PBL) course dealing
with disorders of the musculoskeletal system (MuSkel)
was introduced at Ludwig-Maximilians University
(LMU) Medical School lasting 4 weeks. All 234 4th year students were enrolled in the summer term 2000.
For the first time at the LMU an examination with
standardised patients has been carried out at the end of
this course. MuSkel followed 3 other PBL-courses
successively implemented at the LMU. With the new
form of this examination other insights into correctable
deficits of medical education could be found, e.g. the
demand of teaching a more structured clinical
examination, of teaching problem-solving strategies,
Wednesday 5 September
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the total costs, the Medical Center pays for all other
costs. Insurance of the laptop is included, as well as
access to a specially designed wireless network. Effects
of introducing laptops have been evaluated by a
questionnaire performed in January 2001 among all
first-year students. This questionnaire shows that the
use of Internet and Microsoft Office has increased
enormously, but teachers do not take advantage of the
possibilities presented.
considering cost-effectiveness and time constraints of
ambulatory medicine. The opinion of the students about
this type of examination was very positive. Focussing
on practical skills assessment gave further insights in
deficits which could be partially corrected in the second
MuSkel course in the winter term 2000/2001.
7B3 Training the problem-based
learning tutor: implementation
issues
C Osonnaya*, K Osonnaya and E Burke
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Queen Mary
College, University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS,
UK
Problem-based learning (PBL) is widely regarded as a
useful strategy to improve students’ learning in Medical
School and to prepare graduates for the informational
challenges of the years to come. This has led to many
medical schools adopting this educational approach,
which increases the need to train tutors to facilitate PBL
groups. Therefore, we developed a PBL training
programme for medical teachers. The training
programme, which lasts for four weeks, is devoted to
acquainting teachers with the key elements of PBL.
The principles, the seven steps, the tutorial sessions,
group interaction, information management, critical
analysis skills, assessment and evaluation of PBL group
sessions were also dealt with during this period. The
role of the group tutor to facilitate and not to lecture
was emphasised, as well as the goals of PBL. The tutors
practised acting as PBL tutor, scribe and group member.
Evaluation of the course showed that it has wide appeal
and has been well received by the teachers. The
strongest influence for any modifications made have
come from the teachers who have participated in the
course and they had recommended for the programme
to continue. We therefore recommend it as a realistic
way of training teachers as PBL facilitators.
7B4 PBL in Psychiatry - the Holocaust:
a unique experience
T Fischel*, T Weizman and G Zalsman
Geha Psychiatric Center, 13 Tsel Hagiva, Ramat Gan 52374,
ISRAEL
Planning a rotation in psychiatry meets a major
problem: whether and how to incorporate an inner touch