PANEL on CASES

MedicMED: A Fully Web-based Authoring-system for Case-based Learning and more...

AK Merz, S Soellner, Ch Schwarz, M Reng, University of Regensburg, Germany

ABSTRACT:

Based on international W3C-Standards XML and XML-Schema, regarding international medical classifications such as MESH, ICD and ICPM, a simple generic structure - MedicCaseML - was developed at the University of Regensburg to allow media-neutral storage, exchange and preparation of arbitrary content for case-based learning in medicine. To demonstrate the power of MedicCaseML a complete MedicCaseML web-based authoring- and learning-system - the MedicMED authoring system - was produced, including complete media processing and all relevant features for online-examination.

All together the MedicMED software-tools offer seamless workflow-integration allowing easy production of interactive case-based learning-material for medicine. Nevertheless the MedicMED software-tools (editor, media-manager and player ñ all under the GNU-public license) may be used independently. So any XML-editor may change the medical content when referring to the respective MedicCaseML-Files. Also any XML-compatible software may be used to display the medical content when reading the MedicCaseML-Files.

Of course the use of the fully integrated MedicMED authoring system allows a maximum of comfort when dealing with the MedicCaseML-Structure. So among others a complete editing-history of the respective case is stored, broken links (to missing multimedia content etc.) may be assigned automatically, interfaces to other software-products are provided. An easy - learning-environment-like - preview of the edited material is available to the medical author at any time of the MedicCaseML authoring-process. To allow presentation of the medical cases in any environment three technically different players are provided, based upon Macromedia Shockwave, Macromedia Flash- and HTML-technology. All players allow the presentation of all multimedia elements including interactive quiz-sections und - if needed - provide detailed user tracking. So MedicCaseML and the MedicMED software-tools demonstrate the successful and flexible application of XML-technology in E-learning in medicine. Five other software providers for case-based learning in medicine have agreed to use MedicCaseML as the common interface for the exchange of content between these applications.

BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:

Based on international W3C-Standards XML and XML-Schema, regarding international medical classifications such as MESH, ICD and ICPM, a simple generic structure - MedicCaseML - was developed at the University of Regensburg to allow media-neutral storage, exchange and preparation of arbitrary content for case-based learning in medicine. To demonstrate the power of MedicCaseML a complete MedicCaseML web-based authoring- and learning-system - the MedicMED authoring system - was produced, including complete media processing and all relevant features for online-examination.

MedicCaseML and the MedicMED software-tools demonstrate the successful and flexible application of XML-technology in E-learning in medicine. All together the MedicMED software-tools offer seamless workflow-integration allowing easy production of interactive case-based learning-material for medicine.

Anne-Kathrin Merz

Projekt MedicMED

Klinikum der Universität Regensburg

93042 Regensburg

Germany

Phone: 0049 941 944 8973

mailto:anne-kathrin.merz@medicdat.de

Website: http://www.medicmed.de/, http://www.medicdat.de/

CO-AUTHORS:

Stefan Soellner

Christian SChwarz

Michael Reng

Projekt MedicMED

Klinikum der Universit‰t Regensburg

93042 Regensburg

Germany

Phone: 0049 941 944 8901

Fax: 0049 941 944 8912

Email: mailto:michael.reng@medicdat.de