Biomedical subjects

Rachel Ellaway

Publications and source records attributed to Rachel Ellaway.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

eDrug: a dynamic interactive electronic drug formulary for medical students.

AIMS: Prescribing drugs is a key responsibility of a doctor and requires a solid grounding in the relevant scientific disciplines of pharmacology and therapeutics (PT). The move away from basic science disciplines towards a more system-based and integrated undergraduate curriculum has created difficulties in the delivery of PT teaching in some medical schools. We aimed to develop a web-based strategy to overcome these problems and improve the PT learning experience. METHODS: We designed and introduced 'eDrug', a dynamic interactive web-based student formulary, as an aid to teaching and learning of PT throughout a 5-year integrated medical curriculum in a UK medical school of 1300 students. This was followed by a prospective observational study of student-reported views about its impact on their PT learning experience. RESULTS: eDrug was rated highly by students and staff, with the main benefits being increased visibility of PT in the curriculum, clear identification of core drugs, regular sourcing of drug information via direct links to accredited sources including the British National Formulary, prioritization of learning, immediate access and responsiveness. It has also served as a focus of discussion concerning core PT learning objectives amongst staff and students. CONCLUSIONS: Web-based delivery of PT learning objectives actively supports learning within an integrated curriculum.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

The Edinburgh Electronic Veterinary Curriculum: an online program-wide learning and support environment for veterinary education.

The Edinburgh Electronic Veterinary Curriculum (EEVeC) is a purpose-built virtual learning support environment for the veterinary medicine program at the University of Edinburgh. It is Web based and adapted from a system developed for the human medical curriculum. It is built around a set of databases and learning objects and incorporates features such as course materials, personalized timetables, staff and student contact pages, a notice board, and discussion forums. The EEVeC also contains global or generic resources such as information on quality enhancement and research options. Many of these features contribute to the aim of building a learning community, but a challenge has been to introduce specific features that enhance student learning. One of these is a searchable lecture database in which learning activities such as quizzes and computer-aided learning exercises (CALs) can be embedded to supplement a synopsis of the lecture and address the key needs of integration and reinforcement of learning. Statistics of use indicate extensive student activity during evenings and weekends, with a pattern of increased usage over the years as more features become available and staff and students progressively engage with the system. An essential feature of EEVeC is its flexibility and the way in which it is evolving to meet the changing needs of the teaching program.

Curriculum↗

PubMed2004

Teaching Web authoring: valuable skills, paperless courses.

The Internet has become a core resource in higher education but has predominantly been used by institutions to provide resources for teaching, and by students to find information, which they then present in more or less traditional ways. In medical practice, the Internet has advanced more slowly but its importance is advancing rapidly. Already, it is the single most important source of information for patients when they learn of a new disease. Little has so far been done to encourage physicians or students to provide information in this way. The authors explored the feasibility of combining such education with a simplified method for assessment of group projects. These were produced as websites, which were then assessed online by tutors and examiners. Feedback was strongly positive. Drawbacks were few, and often shared with other types of publication. The resources needed to set up such a course are significant but most higher education institutions already have expertise and resources for Internet publishing. The course becomes almost paperless. Students become practically familiar with the benefits and pitfalls of providing medical information on the Internet, and capable of doing so themselves.

Authorship↗

PubMed2004

METRO--the creation of a taxonomy for medical education.

AIMS: There is a proven and immediate need for a shared vocabulary for medical education in the United Kingdom, both to support the practice of medical education and the research of medical education practice. It would be inefficient to create a complete and independent vocabulary from scratch, the proposed alternative being to create differential terms between the MeSH and BET vocabularies. METHODS: Existing schemas were reviewed against the needs of stakeholders. Seed terms were submitted to the METRO work environment, discussed, scoped and voted upon. RESULTS: A set of procedures, initial terms and recommendations for further development are the principal deliverables from METRO's first phase, while the ongoing second phase will see the creation and testing of an essential branch of descriptors for assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Further work in a number of areas will be required and long-term issues of resourcing and sustainability have yet to be substantially addressed to allow for full adoption by the user community.

Classification↗

PubMed2003

Managing and supporting medical education with a virtual learning environment: the Edinburgh Electronic Medical Curriculum.

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) can be a compelling and powerful way to support and manage contemporary medical education. A VLE purposively aligned to a course can integrate and normalize procedures and provide a central access point and reference mechanism for all of a course's component communities. The Edinburgh Electronic Medical Curriculum (EEMeC), developed in-house to support the Edinburgh under-graduate course, has proved to be a great success with students, teaching and administrative staff. It exists in a 'blended' relationship with the course, which uses both face-to-face and online delivery modes. This paper maps out the process of the EEMeC system's development and describes a number of factors that have contributed to its success.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗