|
The School
of Medicine (SOM) shares the University's commitment to integrate
technology in education. CBIL provides information and assistance
to medical students each year regarding specifications for the computer
requirement . These computer specifications
are compatible with the University's, with specific requirements
geared toward accessing the electronic curriculum on the Web and
running multimedia CDs produced by SOM faculty to support and facilitate
assignments. The specifications are ideal for multi-tasking users
who run several applications at once.
For fourteen years, CBIL has administered an annual
computer literacy survey , a written
questionnaire, to incoming medical students. The survey's purpose
is to assess the students' levels of knowledge, skill and experience
with computer technology. This information allows CBIL to plan educational
activities that address deficiencies in computer knowledge (such
as students having little experience with computer literature searching),
and to reconfigure hardware (such as pursuing wireless connections)
in response to student needs.
According to the
2003 survey data , more than 87% of
entering medical students had their own computers, most with CD-ROM
players. CBIL provides students CD-ROMs annually to allow them to
study on their own at home or at other sites distant from the medical
school. CBIL produced its first CD in 1996 to provide medical students
convenient access to high resolution images and interactivity for
learning.
SOM continues to enhance medical education by improving access to
information, by teaching information management skills, and by providing
innovative means to utilize information resources.
Click on http://www.vcu.edu/sci/
for more information about the VCU Student Computer
Initiative.
|
