Peder Saether Symposium (March 9-10, 2000)

Professor Knut Lundby Abstract

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Changing Roles in Changing Learning Environments: Distributed Problem-Based Learning in Medical Education, University of Oslo
Professor Knut Lundby, Director, InterMedia, University of Oslo, Norway

The undergraduate education at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway, is at present being completely transformed, applying 'problem based learning' (PBL) and extended use of small group teaching. The classical division into a pre-clinical and a clinical part of the curriculum is replaced by subject integration and patient contact through all the twelve semesters. There is also an increased focus on communication skills and patient-doctor relations.

In periods, extending up to 6 weeks each, the students are sent out from the university clinics to practice in collaborative hospitals, psychiatric institutions and in primary care with general practitioners. During these periods, the Faculty of Medicine wants the students to continue working in their PBL groups. To meet these requirements Internet-based solutions are developed. Even clinical sessions and key lectures for larger groups of students at the university hospitals in Oslo, are set up in a distributed way from electronic classrooms, with access to multimedia material on the net.

The distributed set-up and use of various media in the medical education at the University of Oslo will be presented. The changing roles of learners and teachers in the changing learning environments will be discussed. In PBL, the focus is on student activity. The teachers are present in the group sessions, but merely act as advisers and resource persons, assisting the students. Research focus will be on social interaction and learner/teacher outcome in different settings where various technologies are applied.