James B. McGee, M.D., Laboratory for Educational Technology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

vCases (Virtual Cases) is an Internet-based authoring and presentation tool created to support a distributed network of case-based learning throughout the University of Pittsburgh’s medical school and teaching hospitals. The program’s design facilitates structured entry of cases but with flexibility and scalability to meet the needs of a wide variety of learning environments.

Different educators and students have different needs for case-based learning. Basic scientists and those teaching in the first two years of medical school may need problem-based learning cases for use in small group tutorials; clinicians may use cases as a trigger for a lecture-style Grand Rounds presentation; and students may want cases to review clinical skills and decision-making. Structured web-based authoring, using a relational database and distributing over the Internet, provides the benefits of accessibility, searching, easy updating, and multimedia enhancement. However, few educators have the time and resources necessary to create interactive online cases. Existing authoring programs require technical support, have steep learning curves and lack the flexibility and scalability necessary to meet the needs of a wide variety of learning environments.

The program consists of a server-based application written in ASP (Active Server Pages) running on a Microsoft Internet Information Server. The case data is stored in an SQL-compatible database such as MySQL, SQL Server (Microsoft), and even Access (Microsoft). Some JavaScript is used on the client-side for user-interface and browser compatibility functions. This approach ensures operation with all modern browsers and both the Macintosh and Windows operating systems.

This presentation will also include a review of observations and evaluations of the vCases program for 2^nd-year problem-based learning tutorials, postgraduate grand rounds lectures, and faculty education using monthly online cases. This talk will examine the design features that make vCases both flexible and scalable and the technical considerations relating to its development and support.

Participants will benefit from this presentation by learning how faculty and students at the University of Pittsburgh use online cases for medical education. Attendees will learn where our institution uses online cases for basic science and clinical education. Technical considerations for the program’s development and support on a campus-wide distributed network will benefit those in the audience that contemplating using online cases at their own institutions.