Pedagogical Perspectives on the Use of Technology within Medical Curricula: Moving Away from Norm Driven Implementation

Abstract

There is often an expectation that any educational institution worth its salt will be at the forefront of technological advances. An often unchallenged and somewhat romanticised viewpoint persists that, in all cases, technology is best. What is not always openly discussed is the evidence base and pedagogy behind the use of technology, visualisation and traditional approaches of teaching within the fields of medical and anatomy education curricula. There are many advantages to using technology within the learning environment but, often, it is possible to achieve the same outcomes through the use of many other non-technological instructional modalities. The frequent shortcoming when institutions use technology is that there is a lack of integration across the curriculum, a failure to map to the blueprint, little attempt to include technology in the feedback cycle and assessment, and insufficient time and resource allocation for educators developing resources. Without careful implementation and integration, it can appear that institutions are throwing the latest developments at students without due care and consideration to the evidence-base and without the necessary institutional support for staff and resource development. This is not the fault of educators; the competing demands on staff time and institutional drive to climb the ranking tables means that technology is often perceived as the quick fix.