Med-Voice: Interne- based Language Training for Medical Students and Doctors in German, Spanish, and Norwegian
Peter Langkafel, Arnold U, Oehlsen A, Vijande M,
Johannesen LM, Kamps H ,Ryen E ,and Ritzenhoff S
CharitÈ, Facilty of Medicine, Humboldt- University of Berlin, BBEO, (Berlin
Biomedical Exchange Office)
To prepare medical students and doctors for their stay in Germany, Norway Spain the project managed by the BBEO designed a Internet based language training course called "Med Voice". It provides the possibility to acquire medical language skills already in the home country. The course consists of synchronous online sessions (e.g. chat) with a language tutors and students and asynchronous elements like audio files,language games and medical crossword puzzles and can be used via a Java-enabled Web browsers. The daily situation in the hospital, the courtesy and typical situations of the "daily life" in a hospital are trained including special grammar and vocabulary of the medical field. We used the platform CLU for communication. Thus learning in a group and studying individually was tried to combine in an efficient way. With user specific material via e-mail the participants are furthermore enabled to intensify and broaden their language skills and their studies afterwards. The course improves the medical language knowledge, the knowledge of Internet based learning and self learning abilities.
Background
The Berlin Biomedical Exchange Office (BBEO) was initially founded in 1996 as a cooperation project between the medical faculties of Berlin and organises their exchange programs. These include the ERASMUS/SOKRATES Program of the European Commission for the mobility of students, wherefore about 150 Berlin students per year a period of study abroad in one of the 75 partner universities all over Europe is arranged, and about 80 students from the partner universities are coming to Berlin. This is the largest exchange program of a German medical faculty. The interest in studying abroad has been increasing during the last years. But one of the most important things - and the main problem for the students - is the acquisition of the respective foreign language. Modern communication technologies have generally improved language training. The main disadvantages of commercial audio or CD-ROM based language courses though are that they usually focus on language for travellers and general use, and that the student doesn't have any feedback or communication training.
Med Voice
Med Voice was designed within the EU Project EONARDO. The first implementation was " Medical Deutsch" a evaluation project within the IST framework of the EU. Objectives of this project were the integration and Evaluation of innovative telematic services in different fields. It was designed for medical students who are coming to Berlin within the exchange programs. While still in their home country, they are enabled to build up and intensify their medical German language skills. When they begin their period of study in Berlin, they are well prepared for the then starting face-to-face course, an important step in the concept of social learning. New learning methods and designs after an intensive evaluation phase were added and transmitted into a Spanish and a Norwegian version (until now)
BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:
Peter Langkafel
Berlin Biomedical Exchange Office, CharitÈ, Medical Faculty of the Humboldt-University
Augustenburger Platz 1
D-13353 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49- 30-45064199
Fax: +49- 30-45076900
Email: peter.langkafel@charite.de
Website: http://bbeo1.charite.de/medvoice/
(restricted area)
CO-AUTHORS:
Partners and Collaborators of the Project
Humboldt- University
Creos Company/Bielefeld
University of Oviedo/Spain
University of Tronheim/Norway
University of Oslo /Norway