Framework for online classroom tool for collaborative learning in undergraduate Pathology teaching

Pathology is one of the key focuses in any medical curriculum, which helps students to understand the causes and nature and effects of diseases. Conventionally, pathology is being taught using macroscopic and microscopic specimens combined with didactic teaching methodologies. Peer assisted learning is a commonly observable teaching learning method in studying macroscopic specimen especially among Sri Lankan medical undergraduates. However, the main drawback of the conventional laboratory based peer assisted learning is that the group of students have to be in the pathology museum physically to successfully engaged in the learning process and the teacher has to be available to clarify matters arising from the student centered learning exercise. On the contrary, online learning frees students and teacher from the need to be in a single physical location and online content delivery is gaining increasing popularity in medical curriculum. The proposed tool is the result of exploring the possibility of applying instructional designing and content delivery principals for pathology to facilitate peer assisted learning. This tool will assist integrating pathology with clinical presentation of diseases in developing a supplementary content management system for the pathology macroscopic and microscopic specimen studying process in medical undergraduate curricula. Keywords: Pathology, Learning Management System, peer assisted learning, instructional designing, student centred teaching, on line assessment, large group teaching Sri Lanka Journal of Bio-Medical Informatics 2010; 1 (3):155-162 DOI: 10.4038/sljbmi.v1i3.1770

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