| e-Learning in Medicine | | | | tools, we are no longer constrained to a given time |
| Dr.T.V.Rao. MD* | | | | or location to deliver information and interact with |
| Professor of Microbiology | | | | students on a given topic. The ability to engage |
| Medical education in India continues to have as its | | | | many facets of a student using multimedia material |
| foundations with a combination of didactic lectures in | | | | has the added advantage of covering the many |
| the classroom and integrated, hands-on "Socratic | | | | learning styles present in the diverse student |
| Method" learning in any clinical setting. In the recent | | | | population in the medical fields. It is certainly |
| past there is more emphasis on problem based | | | | necessary to improve the technical capabilities of our |
| learning. Traditional didactic lectures address the | | | | young medical gradates. Continuing Medical Education |
| delivery of factual knowledge; however it is | | | | (CME) becomes a crucial factor, because the life of |
| questionable on the effectiveness as well as | | | | knowledge and human skills in the field of medicine |
| efficiency of existing mode of education. With rapid | | | | are shorter than ever. e-learning comes with solutions |
| growth of Medical Colleges all over the world, in | | | | and methods, which can be very helpful in supporting |
| particular India, increasing constraints being placed on | | | | doctors with access to the up-to-date medical |
| medical educators as well as non availability of | | | | knowledge and achievements. Several Medical |
| experienced teachers one needs to explore other | | | | colleges are providing internet access to students and |
| avenues for effective knowledge transfer to trainees | | | | teaching staff. Recently Indian Medical Council has |
| in health care. The harnessing of computer | | | | identified the role of computers and wishes to |
| technology, more specifically web-based tools open | | | | implement some training in computers and other |
| the door for collaboration amongst students and | | | | related technologies to our young graduates. It is |
| teachers, the development of updated, web-based | | | | time to strengthen the Problem based learning with |
| learning platforms that are easy to use from a | | | | Skill based teaching, possible with opting for e-learning |
| student and a teacher prospective. Medical education | | | | and teaching. All medical colleges and departments |
| is beginning to embrace a new modality of | | | | can develop, or obtain soft ware and programmes to |
| knowledge transfer e-learning, it means intentional | | | | strengthen skills to make our students good clinical |
| use of networked information and communications | | | | practitioners. Internet is an occasion of knowledge; |
| technology in teaching and learning. Web-based, | | | | one need to know is how to get desired content |
| multimedia learning platforms bring about numerous | | | | faster, to suit your needs. One of the problems with |
| possibilities not easily met with traditional didactic | | | | e-learning is that students have to learn on their own |
| instruction, however, many of the studies looking to | | | | without any interaction with teachers and other |
| e-learning as a replacement for more traditional | | | | students. In true sense e-learning is not a substitute |
| classroom education have not shown a significant | | | | for a skilled and humanistic teacher, but a great boon |
| improvement, the major reason being as it is not | | | | to upcoming teachers. e-learning is a emerging option |
| human. We already know the power of Internet and | | | | in the coming future, are we prepared to |
| World Wide Web; many protocols can be learned and | | | | acknowledge ? |
| taught easily than in the past. By using web-based | | | | |