TNEEL, an HTML application delivered on CD-ROM. It is a user-friendly package of instructional aids that use multimedia strategies to teach palliative care. It also contains materials that support other educational strategies. Educators can use these tools to engage students in meaningful learning activities.

TNEEL includes six core end-of-life care topics:

1. Comfort goals and preferences including assessment and management of pain and other symptoms.
2. Ethical and legal decision-making.
3. Connections: communications and relationships supporting patient and family-centered care.
4. Grief, loss, and bereavement.
5. Well-being, hope, suffering, complementary comfort therapies including spiritual and psychosocial needs.
6. Impact: of end-of-life care on patients, families, and society.

Within each of these topics, the TNEEL teaching program includes: student learning objectives; pre- and post assessment items; common myths and misconceptions, definitions of terms; teaching materials (lecture outlines and text materials; multi-media slide sets to illustrate learning activities); case studies for problem-based learning; learning activities that promote critical thinking; and resources (references, bibliographies, web resources, movies, books, arts). Core concepts are woven throughout TNEEL including individual and cultural diversity; family centered care across the life span; interdisciplinary collaborative care; settings and systems of care; values and attitudes.

TNELS easy access and an intuitive and concise navigation system gives educators access to electronic teaching aides that will meet their needs and preferences. With future advances, such as hand-held and bedside computers, TNEEL could mentor students in effective end-of-life care when and where they need it most -- with vulnerable individuals and families facing end-of-life transitions.

BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:

See an example of the first computerized instructional aid for teaching palliative care.
See example of an instructional aid that fits different teaching strategies.
See an example of educational software designed for faculty who have limited knowledge on computers

Shiping Zong, Ph.D.
University of Washington
Box 357266
Seattle, WA 98195
Phone: (206)306-9530
Email: shipingz@u.washington.edu

CO-AUTHORS:
Stuart Farber, MD
Diana Wilkie, Ph.D.