SU-FF-E-04: Using the Internet for Real-Time Education and Knowledge Exchange in Medical Physics

Abstract

Purpose: This work provides an update to the ongoing project of Remote Real‐Time Learning. (http://www.neteinfach.com/rrtl/index.htm). The goal of the project is to promote the use of Internet to provide classroom style real‐time interactive education in Medical Physics.Method and Materials: This project was started 3 years ago as a collaboration between the Department of Medical Physics at the Toronto‐Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre in Canada and the Department of Radiology at the University of Malaya in Malaysia. A class of Medical Physicsgraduate students at the University of Malaya attended lectures provided by lecturers in Toronto, using the Internet as the main tool of communication. As part of the study, the different methods that can be used to provide real‐time interactive remote education were explored, and various topics including traditional classroom lectures as well as hands‐on workshops were also delivered. Results: Based on our experience, a reasonably stable methodology has been established. This methodology allows a fairly smooth set‐up and conduction of the lectures, at an insignificant cost, while offering flexible convenience to the lecturers as well as the students, despite the widely different time zones. Conclusion: The current plan is to expand the process to allow students at multiple sites of the world to attend the online lectures at the same time. Our project welcomes the participation of both lecturers and students who are interested in taking advantage of the advance of the Internet to promote greater accessibility of quality education in the field.