CAMPUS: A Simulative, Flexible, Case-oriented Web-based Training System for Multi-Purpose Use in PBL-Curricula
Jens Riedel
Laboratory for Computer-based Teaching and Learning Systems in Medicine, University of
Heidelberg, Germany
ABSTRACT:
Introduction
In medical education, Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is becoming more and more important. The design and implementation of a problem-oriented medical curriculum, however, is very time-consuming for the educational staff. Case-based, Web-based training systems can help the educators to develop, implement, organise and reuse well-structured multimedia cases. For students, such a system can be used to improve and test their problem-solving competence. With respect to heterogeneous learning environments, the system should be flexible and adaptable. The CAMPUS system tries to meet these requirements by covering the needs of different user groups (e.g., students, educators, physicians) in different application scenarios (e.g. self-study, presentation, learning groups, new assessment methods) to get maximum benefit of integrated medical cases.
With the CAMPUS player component (learner's front-end), users can work out medical cases in a simulative - and therefore realistic and interactive - way or let the system present a case in different manners. Users can get help via expert comments or context-sensitive systematic knowledge which is available in addition to the case data. With the CAMPUS authoring component, medical experts can feed the system with cases from any medical field. CAMPUS, part of a comprehensive virtual university project, is going to be integrated in a reformed medical curriculum approach at the University of Heidelberg and the Reformed Medical Curriculum at the Humboldt-University of Berlin.
Methods
The idea of CAMPUS is to develop a case-based, Web-based training system in Medicine including a broad variety of usage modes. To achieve such a
functionality, CAMPUS provides the following features:
a) Integration of medical cases from any medical field
b) Storage of case data in a very detailed manner in a relational database
c) Presentation/treatment of cases in different adaptable ways
There may be various degrees of interactivity/realism of a case presentation/treatment to be distinguished: The most interactive form is 'decision', where the student has to treat a case in a realistic, simulative way leading to a maximum of active knowledge processing. The user has to ask questions of anamnesis, order physical, lab, or technical exams, make diagnostic decisions and propose a therapy. In the form 'compact' the student only has to make diagnostic decisions and propose the therapy. The results of the different tests are shown en bloc. If a user is only interested in medical case data he can choose the form 'total', where the whole case is presented at once with no interactivity at all.
d) Expert comments on demand.
It is very important to explain key facts about a case, e.g., why a diagnosis has been made or why a particular exam has been done. Hence, for every particular point within a case the CAMPUS author can define an expert comment.
e) Questions if wanted. Questions are - besides other things - an important aspect of interactivity and active knowledge processing. Thus, the case author can define questions of different types on every definable point within a case, e.g., after or before the user gets the answer to a certain question of the anamnesis or after or before the whole physical exam.
Every user has a different state of knowledge. Therefore, every user needs help at different points when working on a case. Hence, CAMPUS shows context-sensitive systematic knowledge only on demand.
Cases are searchable by defining symptoms or diagnoses. For example, one could look for cases with fever, shivering, and chest X-ray abnormal. Such a specific search is possible because of the detailed database.
h) Execution over the internet/intranet or locally
In order to acquire platform-independence, permanent actuality and world-wide access along with the functionality of a programming language, CAMPUS is implemented in Java as a Browser applet. For users at home, it may be better to have a local application to save time and costs. Therefore, CAMPUS is also executable locally using a local database.
In order to avoid the structure and vocabulary of cases varying from author to author, a case has a well-defined structure and has to use a defined vocabulary for anamnesis questions, exams, diagnosis (ICD-10) and therapies. Every case has the following structure: anamnesis, physical exam, suspected diagnosis followed by one to many passes of a therapy loop with examinations (physical, technical, lab), working diagnosis and therapy. That means that, unlike many other case-based training systems, CAMPUS does not stop at the first diagnosis given by the user but considers a case in a more detailed and realistic way. To give the user an easy to understand user interface, a so-called situated learning environment, where the 'situation' is a physician's room, has been implemented.
BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:
CAMPUS implements a new dimension of flexibility of a case-based, medical Web-based training system. It can be used by different user groups in different learning environments. CAMPUS offers the chance to develop a case-database with well-structured multimedia cases to be used by students as well as educational staff (especially in problem-oriented curricula) who can use and - more important for the educators - reuse cases in several scenarios. Therefore, it is an optimal approach for PBL-curricula to support educators and learners in the reformed, problem-oriented education and assessment.
Jens Riedel
Laboratory for Computer-based Teaching and Learning Systems in Medicine
University of Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 324
69120 Heidelberg
Germany
Phone: +49-7131-504376
Fax: +49-7131-252470
Email: riedel@medicase.de
Website: http://www.medicase.de
CO-AUTHORS:
1 Jens Riedel, Reiner Singer, Jˆrn Heid, Franz Josef
Leven
2 Burkhard Tˆnshoff, Sabine Kˆpf
3 Jana Jünger
4 Kai Schnabel
1 Laboratory for Computer-based Teaching and Learning
Systems, University
of Heidelberg, Germany
2 University Children's Hospital Heidelberg, Germany
3 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Germany
4 Reformed Medical Curriculum, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany
Email: 1 campus@medicase.de
2 Burkhard_Toenshoff@med.uni-heidelberg.de,
Sabine_Koepf@med.uni-heidelberg.de
3 Jana_Juenger@med.uni-heidelberg.de
4 kai.schnabel@charite.de