SCHOOL AS A ( MULTIMEDIA SIMULATION ) PLAY : USE OF MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS IN TEACHING OF PATHOLOGICAL PHYSIOLOGY

Nowadays, the old Comenius`s motto – “schola ludus“ (“school as a play”) has found its modern use in interactive educational programs using simulation games. Connection of the Internet and a multimedia environment serving as an audio and visual user interface with simulative models makes it possible to have a graphic feel in the virtual reality of the problem currently studied, upon connecting to the magical Internet network. By means of a simulation game it is possible to test, without any risk, the simulated object’s behaviour – e.g. trying to land with a virtual airplane or to heal a virtual patient. Through the simulation game we can test the behaviour of individual physiological subsystems, both under normal conditions and in the presence of a disorder. The Atlas of Physiology and Pathophysiology (http://www.physiome.cz), designed as a multimedia-teaching tool, which helps to explain the function of individual physiological systems, causes and symptoms of their disorders in a visual way through the Internet is one of the projects in which we want to utilize new opportunities of multimedia and simulation models. Development of the Atlas requires cooperation of many professionals: Starting from experienced teachers whose design provides the foundation of quality educational applications, system analysts responsible for creating simulation models for educational simulation games in cooperation with professionals in their field, artists creating the visuals, and finally up to programmers who “knit” together the whole application to achieve its final form. For the inter-disciplinary collective creation to be successful, specific development tools with sufficient technical support must be used in each phase of creation; such tools allow for component-based creation of simulation models, creation of interactive multimedia and their final interconnection into a compact unit based on the given design. Creative interconnection of the various professions is the key to success. The Atlas of Physiology and Pathophysiology is a freely available application. Any form of cooperation in its gradual development is welcome.