Lessons learned during the INSURRECT project (INteractive SURgical Teaching at REmote CeNtres)

Abstract

The INSURRECT project began in 1993 as a collaboration between six UK universities in distance teaching of undergraduate surgery. The first year was spent in testing the network and preparing the course material. This was followed by a two-year pilot teaching course. During this phase, 108 teaching sessions were conducted, involving more than 1300 students in all. It was found that successful teaching depended on increasing the amount of audience interaction was much as possible and transmitting high-quality video pictures. Although the time taken to deliver material by interactive video was greater than for conventional lectures, both students and teachers responded favourably to the project.

APPLIED RESEARCH: Effectiveness of Lectures Attended via Interactive Video Conferencing Versus In-Person in Preparing Third-Year Internal Medicine Clerkship Students for Clinical Practice Examinations (CPX)

“…7 It is almost essential to have instructors trained in distance lecturing and lecture materials reformatted for optimum viewing. [8][9][10] In addition, because technical problems such as dropped calls or inadequate audio or visual clarity can have a negative impact on remote viewers, 11 increasing system reliability and quality is a necessity for implementing a successful program.…”

A pilot study of new approaches to teaching anatomy and pathology

“…The current study is another in a decade-long, ongoing series of efforts by surgical educators to incorporate technological advances into both undergraduate and graduate surgical curricula. In 1993, when Hobisey et al [5] organized a consortium of six British medical schools that used distance teaching of undergraduate surgery, responses by both faculty and students were extremely favorable. Subsequently, Schulam et al [9] reported on a laparoscopic telementoring system for inexperienced surgeons that demonstrated feasibility, effectiveness, and safety.…”

The development of undergraduate curricula in surgery: I. General issues

“…There is a growing interest in distance learning and telemedicine. The Interactive Surgical Teaching at Remote Centres (INSURRECT) project began in 1993 as a collaboration between six universities from the United Kingdom in the distance teaching of undergraduate surgery 41,42 . Central to the project is an image resource that is located in London and allows students and surgeons access from anywhere on the network.…”

“…Key elements of self-directed learning 15 The learner takes the initiative for Diagnosing learning needs Formulating goals Identifying resources Implementing appropriate activities And then evaluates the outcome universities from the United Kingdom in the distance teaching of undergraduate surgery. 41,42 Central to the project is an image resource that is located in London and allows students and surgeons access from anywhere on the network. It has been found that successful teaching depends upon a high degree of audience interaction and the transmission of high-quality video pictures.…”