University of TN Center for Health Sciences (Memphis)
Abstract:
The projects are examples of a development system called
Metacard. Metacard was developed on the "UNIX world" as a functional
analog of HyperCard, using the stacks and cards objects and XTalk scripting of
HyperCard as a starting point. Metacard now runs on several UNIX systems,
LINUX, Microsoft Windows and the Macintosh OS. Like HyperCard, Metacard files
are stacks which run scripts, but Metacard is a contemporary programming tool,
which uses internet standard methods for file handling and communication.
My interest in Metacard began when SuperCard, which I
had used to develop many Macintosh-based tutorials, failed to develop a Windows
version. I evaluated several Hypercard lookalikes and some alternatives, such
as Authorware. Metacard proved to be the best tool for me. It is powerful
enough to handle material originally contained in large, multi-window SuperCard
projects, and it makes cross-platform development simple. This is partly due to
the fact that with its UNIX roots, Metacard uses Internet terminology and
standards for file handling and graphics, on all platforms.
Metacard is not cheap, and its programming tools lack
the elegance of Hypercard, but on the balance, it appears to be a valuable new
tool for developers of computer-based multimedia instruction.
The programs.
They all began life as Macintosh-based HyperCard stacks
or SuperCard projects. The slides used in the programs were generally digitized
as Photo-CD's and edited in Photoshop. Some of them were converted to
Metacard with automated conversion software. The video
segments were digitized using Premier, After Effects, and QuickTime
Professional Edition. All were programmed by me, John Silver, DVM, MCS,
coordinator of the Multimedia Laboratory at the Health Sciences Library of the
University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences, at Memphis.
1. "Evaluation of the Sexually Abused Child."
CD-ROM.
Edited by David Muram,
John Silver, Astrid Heger, and S. Jean Emans.
Dr. Muram is past professor at the University of
Tennessee College of Medicine in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
Since then he has taught at the University of Tromsų, Tromsų, Norway. Dr. Heger
is Executive Director of the LAC/USC Violence Intervention Program, in Los
Angeles, California, and Dr. Emans is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at
Harvard Medical School. Carolyn J. Levitt, Professor at the Department of
Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, provided the videos of forensic
interviews. The Macintosh version of this program is currently available from
Oxford University Press. The CD contains four components: a) An electronic
version of the textbook and photo-atlas "Evaluation of the Sexually Abused
Child" by Astrid Heger and S. Jean Emans; b) six clinical simulations of
pediatric gynecology cases, c) twenty-eight simulated consultations, and d)
thirty simulated legal opinions based on clinical cases. The text and cases are
illustrated with digital graphics, including movies of actual forensic
interviews. The program allows students to save and restore their work in a
file. We will be bringing a cross-platform version with the first edition of
the book. A second edition of the book is in progress, and Oxford says they
will release the cross-platform CD-ROM with that edition.
2. "Hematology Slide Review." CD-ROM.
Author: Ann Bell.
This slide atlas includes the slides appropriate for the
hematology section of a beginning course in pathophysiology, plus several
chapters on advanced topics. Ms Bell is a professor emeritus in the school of
Allied Health Sciences at the University of Tennessee Center for Health
Sciences at Memphis and author of a widely used hematology manual. Ms Bell has contributed to and reviewed
hematology atlases with more global coverage, but she feels that this one a
better teaching tool. This program has been used for several years at the
University of Tennessee College of Medicine and is extremely popular with
students. It routinely blows out our logging system.
3. "Epidemiology: Investigation of an
Outbreak."
Content: Grant Somes and Martin Marks.
Instructional Design: Sunny Hahn.
Dr. Soames is professor and chief of the department of
Biostatistics & Epidemiology at the University of Tennessess Center for
Health Sciences, Memphis. Dr. Marks is a Fellow of the American College of
Epidemiology. He was with the Department of Family Practice of the Medical
College of the University of Kentucky at the time the videodisc version of the
program was created. This is a simulation of a disease outbreak, appropriate
for use in entry-level courses on epidemiology for students in the health
sciences. A group of doctors, nurses, and public health workers in a small town
investigate a mysterious illness. It was demonstrated at a SOL meeting several
years ago in the form of a level three videodisc. The new version is
cross-platform with digital video. This past semester, this program was used by
nursing students across the country who were taking an internet-based course.
The internet couldn't handle the video in the program, so we mailed CD-ROM's to
the students.
Benefit in Attending Session:
These tutorials showcase several content developers.
They were all created with a programming tool called Metacard, which should be
of interest to health science authors.
John T. Silver
University of Tennessee Health Sci. Library
877 Madison, Rm 210
Memphis, TN, 38163
Telephone Number:(901) 448-6817
Fax Number:(901) 448-235
E-mail Address:jsilver@utmem.edu
Web Site: http://library.utmem.edu
CO-AUTHORS' INFORMATION
Ann Bell, Grant Soames.
David Muram et al.
Address(es):