Teaching pathology in the 21st century. An experimental automated curriculum delivery system for basic pathology

In late 1984, the "General Professional Education of the Physician" (GPEP) report recommended, among other things, that medical curricula be revised to rely less on lectures and more on independent study and problem solving. We seem to have anticipated, in 1980, the findings of the GPEP panel by formulating and starting to test the hypothesis that certain "core" information in medical curricula can be as effectively delivered by technology-based self-study means as by lecture or formal laboratory. We began, at that time, to prepare a series of self-study materials using, at first, videotape and then computer-controlled optical videodiscs. The content area selected for study was basic microscopic pathology. The series was planned to cover the following areas of study: cellular alterations and adaptations, cell injury, acute inflammation, chronic inflammation and wound healing, cellular accumulations, circulatory disturbances, necrosis, and neoplasia. All are intended to provide learning experiences in basic pathology. The first two programs were released for testing in 1983 as a two-sided videodisc accompanied by computer-driven pretests, study modules, and posttests that used Apple computers and Pioneer (DiscoVision) videodisc players. An MS DOS (eg, IBM) version of the computer programs was released in 1984. The first two programs are now used in 57 US, Canadian, European, and Philippine health professions schools, and over 1300 student and faculty evaluations have been received. Student and faculty evaluations of these first two programs were very positive, and, as a result, the others are in production and will be completed in 1988. Only when a critical mass of curriculum is available can we really test our stated hypothesis. In the meantime, it is worthwhile to report the evaluation of the first two programs.