Using high speed broadband to their advantage, the University of New England and the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine are holding joint classes and medical simulations by video conferencing.
The new equipment has given both institutions a chance to share academic and medical knowledge. UNE Acting Vice-Chancellor Annabelle Duncan said high-speed broadband is demonstrating that distance is no barrier to education.
“By utilising technology to access UC Irvine, our students get the opportunity to access world class facilities in a way that has never been possible,” Professor Duncan said.
At the moment this program is focused on the university’s medicine department, but the UNE is looking to expand it into nursing and allied health areas as well.
UNE’s Head of School of Rural Medicine, Professor Peter Mckeown, said the UNE is the first medical school in Australia to introduce iPads and ultrasound as a teaching tool because of this collaboration.
“This collaboration with UC Irvine will leapfrog our capacity to use simulation in health and education,” Professor McKeown said.
UC Irvine Medical School has re-invented how medicine is taught because of its Ipad-based curriculum. It is the first school in the US to offer students a completely digital, interactive learning environment.
UC Irvine Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education, Dr Gerry Maguire, said, “Our affiliation with UNE and our cooperative agreement is a natural extension of our program.
“Technology is on the forefront in our medical education program – no textbooks, instant access to information and diagnosing hidden diseases with bedside ultrasound,” Dr Maguire said.
“Even though we are separated by the vast Pacific, students at UNE and UC Irvine will learn together in a cooperative environment, preparing both to meet the needs, not only of our local community, but those of the world.”
