Pixel International Conferences

Today’s global educational environment is rapidly changing [1,2]. Our perspective with regard to the future of medical education is experiential learning. Learning authentically implies that learners, simulating their present or future professional practice, gain medical experience in the process of diagnosing human diseases. This challenge is linked with a main educational task undertaken, i.e., structuring an inter-active e-learning platform in the context of a novel teaching strategy. The relevant project entitled “ICT emodules on HistoPathology: a valuable online tool for students, researchers and professionals - HIPON”, and co-financed by the Lifelong Learning Program of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, The Commission of the European Union, has been launched at the beginning of 2013.

The project has resulted in an autonomous well-structured and user friendly, multi-language e-learning platform, specifically focused on histopathology, which provides a valuable teaching tool for students, researchers and professionals.

The modern technologies’ fast progress in recent years brings about the development of new teaching tools [2]. The implementation of e-learning programs has progressively increased in medical education [3]. Our up-to-date platform combines a virtual portfolio, a list of resources and links and, most importantly, characteristic case studies, presented on such a basis that way of thinking and experience is conveyed and acquired, instead of mere information. The basic concept underlying HIPON’s methodology is to follow mixed learning pathways based on case studies, always taking advantage of modern visual technology. The latter includes enlargeable, high resolution images, virtual slides and educative videos. The step by step analysis of the diagnostic thought is the crux of the matter.

Through the educational aspects provided by HIPON platform, users will familiarize with the diagnostic process and become highly knowledgeable about using all their acquired knowledge in order to achieve the correct diagnosis; in other words, users will learn authentically how to think as experienced pathologists.

REFERENCES

[1] Gigante G. Social Media Technologies in Distance Learning: New Capabilities for Future Higher Education. In Conference Proceedings. New perspectives in science education. Italy, libreriauniversitaria.it, 2014

[2] Girish C. Future Education: Changing Paradigms. In Conference Proceedings. The Future of Education. Italy, libreriauniversitaria.it, 2014

[3] Kim S et al. Smart learning services based on smart cloud computing. Sensors 2011; 11(8):7835-50