Distance Education in Medical Education: Is There “Value Added”?

Abstract

At Indiana University School of Medicine, the classrooms of two regional campuses were connected, and interactive physiology instruction was provided to both classes simultaneously by computer and video teleconferencing. The physical presence of the instructor alternated between sites. The implementation of the project and its educational outcomes are presented. It was an effective teaching model as demonstrated by objective measures of student performance. The interactive classroom teaching mode in the form of teambased learning, small group work, role play, and patient simulations was well received by students, while distance education technology was perceived as a barrier to learning. The lessons learned from the connected classroom teaching mode are valuable for future medical sciences courses in which resources are shared between students, faculty members, clinicians, and patients when travel is not feasible.