i want to counter Dr.Sail leela madams argument.
From a simple ‘disseminator of content’, teachers are increasingly metamorphosing into ‘facilitators for learning’ , which is facilitated by e-learning tools that provide a variety of online resources .
E-learning technology can be used in the augmentation of all the learning domains viz., cognitive, psychomotor and affective.
In the cognitive domain, group teaching in classrooms could be enhanced by providing online material like pre-lecture assignments and audio-video clips during the sessions. Even students could be provided with virtual resources like audio-video clips, podcasts, animations, and web-links for self-directed learning intended to be used at home, or as part of Flipped lectures.
Psychomotor skills, although best learnt with real practice, can also be augmented by technology, at least up to the ‘knows how’ level. Audio-visual demonstration of procedures, diagnostics and interventions can be provided. Students may read through the explanations and view checklists of procedural skills before actually practicing the same under supervision in clinical postings or in skill laboratories.
In the affective domain, videos of scenarios depicting good and bad communication-skills, role-plays and counselling sessions, and self-recordings can be used to stimulate learning. Other modalities include online case-studies and patient logs, clinical decision support systems, virtual patients, medical video games, E-books, e-atlases, teaching databases, and digital versions of online journals
The integration of e-learning in medical education is the need of the hour. Medical Council of India (MCI), the regulatory body of medical education in India, has recognized the importance of the technology and has included the use of electronic means in the broad competency “Lifelong learner committed to continuous improvement of skills and knowledge. An Indian medical graduate must have obtained this competency at the time of graduation. The student has to continuously acquire new skills and keep himself abreast of latest development, a goal presently considered difficult to attain in the absence of technology. The use of e-learning can help them achieve the goal of continuous professional development, considering the vastness of syllabus, paucity of time, and already overburdened schedules.
Recognizing the importance of information technology for the doctor of today, the General Medical Council in UK also advocates that medical graduates should be able to “make effective use of computers and other information systems, including storing and retrieving information.”
Interaction and repetitions are the cornerstones for learning any skill. Traditional learning has more human involvement; thus opportunity for repetition is curtailed so as to respect patient autonomy and prevent psychological stress to the patient as well as the student. E-learning involves technology and simulation, which can be repeated any number of times, exactly the same way or in changed scenario to improve the levels of learning. Innovations in technology and devices have brought a revolution in learning. The field of medical education cannot remain immune to the effects of this aptly called E-revolution. In the era of computers and hand-held devices, teaching and learning have gone far beyond the textbooks, venturing into various components of the digital world. The United Nations and WHO have acknowledged e-learning as a useful tool in addressing educational needs in healthcare workers, especially in developing countries.
