September 2004
Northern medical school pioneers "Distributed Learning"
While dignitaries gathered to break ground for the new Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Thunder Bay a few weeks ago, the real “ground-breaking” has been taking place in the Distributed Learning approach the new school is helping to pioneer.
Premier Dalton McGuinty, partners and school officials came together at Lakehead University’s main campus on Aug. 26, to mark the start of construction of an $8 million, 30,000 square-foot facility.
The focus that day was on the new bricks and mortar. The true innovation, though, is the new approach to teaching and learning based on network connectivity that allows the school to connect with northern communities, in some cases, over vast distances.
“Now that we have the support facilities and infrastructure to use our technology, our primary task is to connect technology and users at an early stage so that we can be aware of initiatives requiring technology and prevent duplication of effort and redundancy of systems,” says Dr. Roger Strasser, Founding Dean of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
He cautions not to mistake Distributed Learning for Distance Education. “While there might be a similarity in terms of removing geographical barriers, Distributed Learning means that students can access information and materials through technology, at a convenient time and frequency.”
“The Distributed Learning method supports their work and study through an open technology concept, for instance, while students undertake clinical placement in rural, remote, northern communities, they can connect to campus resources,” he says. “The faculty will use the technology to post information and learning materials, thus overcoming the sense of isolation they might feel.”
Dr. Strasser believes the school’s use of the method will become a benchmark for best practices. He credits the partnership with Laurentian and Lakehead universities and collaboration with the Northwestern Ontario Medical Program (NOMP), the Northeastern Ontario Medical Education Corporate (NOMEC), Contact North, NORTH Network and K-Net, in establishing a sophisticated network and technology to support the school’s Distributed Learning plan.
Among the partners, the universities are leveraging their expertise and networking capabilities, while Contact North assists with audio-conferencing. NORTH Network assists with videoconferencing needs. K-Net’s role is to help the medical school network in the far north.
In terms of curriculum, the school intends to provide a comprehensive and flexible curriculum where case-based learning is made possible. It will make use Lakehead’s WebCT license as part of its Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to support its curriculum development. Teaching technology is built in on a “smart classroom” concept, modeled after the programs in Lakehead’s Advanced Technology and Academic Centre.
Distributed Learning is also a main theme of the sixth annual Associated Medical Services/Council of Ontario Faculties of Medicine Conference, being hosted by the Northern School of Medicine in Thunder Bay November 18 and 19.
It is bringing several Canadian and international experts to the north, including a Distributed Learning Panel featuring Raymond Christensen, MD - Associate Professor of Family Medicine, RPAR Program in Duluth, MN; Tim Zmijowskyj, MD - Division Head, Northern Ontario School of Medicine; and Doug Schaad, PhD - Professor, Department of Medical Education, University of Washington, Seattle.
Apart from the school’s ability to become a virtual test-bed for Distributed Learning, the school also showcases the vast potential of the ORION network itself, which physically connects the school’s main campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury. Faculty and students are already making use of the ORION connectivity for advanced video conferencing, data transfers and other services.
Learn more on the new medical school and the annual conference at www.normed.ca.
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