The MedCal-Experience: A Nationwide Initiative to Enhance and Co-ordinate CAL

Petersson, Göran and Hulting, Anna-Lena

MedCal, the Council for Renewal of Higher Education

MedCal was created 1994 as a subcommittee to the Council for Renewal of Higher Education in Sweden in order to support the development and implementation of computer assisted learning (CAL) in health science education (Medicine, Odontology, Veterinary Medicine). The MedCal-committee has representatives from all Swedish Medical Schools. MedCal promotes the use of CAL by coordinating development projects, up o now 16, of which most are finished. Grants can be applied for once a year. Furthermore, MedCal initiates workshops and conferences for teachers, developers and deans; informs students and teachers about useful educational digital resources; shares educational resources, strategies and initiatives; initiates networks with departments and libraries, and works out criteria for evaluation of web resources.

The result of a networked initiative would encourage others to work in the same way. Also the experience of a long term investment with pros and cons can be fruitful to share for other groups and teachers.

Göran Petersson, MD, PhD
Distum - Swedish Agency for Distance Education, P.O. Box 194
SE-871 24 Härnösand SWEDEN
Executive member of MedCal, Council for Renewal of Higher Education,
http://www.hgur.se/medcal
Phone: +46-(0)-611-349504, (0)70-6034256,
Fax: +46-(0)611-349505
Email: goran.petersson@distum.se
Website:http:// www.hgur.se/medcal, http://www.distum.se

CO-AUTHORS:

Anna-Lena Hulting, MD, PhD
Dept of Endocrinology and Diabetology
Karolinska Hospital
SE-171 76 Stockholm
Phone: +46-(0)8-517 734 61
Fax: +46 (0)8-517 730 96
Email: anna-lena.hulting@ks.se
Website: http://www.hgur.se/medcal