Harnessing digital tools for a 21st-century medical curriculum

At UC Irvine’s School of Medicine, we are reinventing the traditional medical school curriculum for the 21st century, becoming one of the first in the nation to build a completely digital, interactive learning environment.

Our iMedEd Initiative, which was launched in 2010, is transforming the classic lecturer/passive listener model, using online learning assets as well as audio and video libraries to support active learning and hybrid teaching environments.

Each entering student receives an iPad to access our digitally hosted curriculum, which includes faculty-developed iBooks, clinical and productivity apps and essential digital textbooks.

We also are integrating complementary technologies, such as Google Glass and portable ultrasound devices, to further advance the medical school curriculum.

For example, several Google Glass pilot programs have been launched to explore the effectiveness of first-person video in teaching clinical procedures, communications and empathy skills.

Our medical students also are learning to use portable ultrasound devices as a noninvasive diagnostic tool to examine internal organs and blood flow. And specially designed iPad applications let students consult video tutorials while they perform bedside ultrasounds. This enables them to review sample normal and abnormal examinations and also to track procedures for quality assurance.

Through the iMedEd Initiative, we are preparing future physicians to practice 21st-century medicine in an increasingly digital, highly mobile healthcare environment.

Welcome to our program!

For more information on UC Irvine's iMedEd Initiative, please contact:

• Warren Wiechmann, MD, MBA, Associate Dean for Clinical Science Education at wiechmaw@uci.edu.
• Julie Youm, PhD, Director, Instructional Technologies at jyoum@uci.edu.