Success in medical studies with "free space"
The Foundation for Innovation in University Teaching (StIL) is supporting the development and testing of new teaching concepts with its "Freiraum 2023" program and is funding 174 new projects. Among them is the project "Digital Self-Learning Times in Medical Studies" (DiSeMed) from the Faculty of Medicine at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, which is being funded with a total of 400,000 euros for the next two years. The project will start on April 1, 2024.
The idea of "DiSeMed" is to support medical students with more freedom in their learning process.Digital teaching and learning materials are to play a central role in this in order to meet the different learning preferences of students. "Currently, learning materials are mainly provided according to the teaching style and the teacher's skills in using digital media. The individual learning preferences of students have hardly been taken into account so far," explains project manager Antje Hoffleit from the Dean's Office at the Faculty of Medicine. Student participation in the project is therefore very important to the team.
The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Dr. Daniela Dieterich, emphasizes: "The ability to study independently is essential in order to be able to adequately assess medical developments later in professional life.With this project, we are creating a learning environment that not only meets the requirements of the course, but also promotes the individual skills and talents of our future doctors."
The aim is to structure learning processes in such a way that students can learn effectively on their own."We want to make use of the diversity of learning architecture and digital offerings, including learning analytics, serious games, virtual reality and e-portfolios," says Dr. Katrin Werwick, responsible for teaching coordination and evaluation at the Faculty of Medicine. A first step has already been taken with the introduction of VIPER - the Magdeburg teaching platform for digital teaching formats - and the implementation of an e-portfolio for the practical year of medical studies. New teaching formats can be tested and analyzed there.
Photo (from left): Antje Hoffleit and Dr. Katrin Werwick from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Magdeburg are campaigning for more freedom and a flexible learning environment in medical studies with their DiSeMed teaching project.
Photographer: Melitta Schubert/UMMD
Among other things, the funding enables the further development of the platform. "In the future, we aim to further expand our offerings for guided self-study, with VIPER playing a central role," says Hoffleit and continues: "The DiSeMed concept ties in here and enables us to analyze the concrete learning success through the use of digital elements, taking into account the different learning needs of students."
With this innovative project, the faculty is also meeting the future requirements described in the current draft of the new medical licensing regulations.There is a clear focus on creating more time for free and independent learning as well as the expansion of digital teaching and learning opportunities.
Contacts
Antje Hoffleit, Project management DiSeMed, Medical Faculty of the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Tel.: 0391/67-25394, E-Mail:
Dr. phil. Katrin Werwick, Teaching Coordination, Evaluation, FQB, Medical Faculty of Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Tel.: 0391/67-13077, E-Mail: