Virtual Learning in the Medical Faculty
The Finnish Virtual University is a partnership of all 21 Finnish universities. It promotes online learning and teaching and develops a compatible information-infrastructure. The Medical Faculty in Turku has been an active partner in the virtual university since 2003. Before that, the WorkMates platform was created in Turku University, and based on that development our Medica portal was founded in 2001. Very rapidly, students took it as a new tool in their learning. All teaching materials such as Power point presentations were collected in folders in this WorkMates platform on the web. All students use the same system in all courses during the whole curriculum. There are also interactive courses, case rounds and electronic examinations in Medica. The same system is also used in national and international post-graduate courses. The first project in the Finnish Virtual University was MediNet (2003-6) which contained not only Medica but also MedImage which is a collection of 1000 anonymised real cases with X-rays, electrocardiograms, and pathology specimens and reports. This is open for all students and teachers. Cases are used as teaching material during lectures and seminars but also for examinations especially in radiology. The next project was Telesphoros (2007-9) where the focus has been on web-conferencing with video cameras from lecture rooms to decentralised teaching hospitals and health care centres. Virtual Microscopy in pathology is growing to a nationwide project. AdobeConnect Pro has during 2008 been used for web-conferencing in small group environments, between individuals working with their own computers.
Virtual learning in the medical faculty is not replacing human contact and clinical work, but offers new additional tools for effective use of the electronic library, of teaching materials and human knowledge. Virtual learning and teaching materials form a bridge between basic medical training and CPD activities in the community.
New technology opens additional possibilities to share expertise and promotes new ways of human interaction in teaching locally, nationally and internationally.