Instructional Technology

Instructional Technology
Name
Institution
Introduction
In the contemporary world, medical education has changed at a very high. The changes have been driven by the ever increasing knowledge and by the need to train an ever growing number of learners while the resources to achieve this goal are limited. The recent advancement in technology and development of new therapeutic and diagnostic modalities has challenged educators to assume new training strategies that are more effective, efficient and realistic. The use of technology has been viewed as the most appropriate approach for solving the ever increasing educational demands. The use of technology has almost been accepted globally as a positive and essential step in improving the training of new medics (Law, 2012; Ruiz et al, 2006). This paper is aimed at discussing the use of technology in instructional delivery at the University of Toronto the Faculty of Medicine.
Today’s medical educators employ different means of impacting knowledge on tomorrow’s physicians. There have been tremendous changes in the past few decades on mode of health care delivery. With the growth in technology, many institutions have opted for e-learning. This is a model that applies internet technologies to deliver information to the learners. E-learning is also referred to as Web-base learning, distributed learning, online learning, internet-based learning or computer-assisted instruction. Educators deliver skills to their students through tutorials, hypermedia, case-based learning, simulation and game-based learning modules (Ruiz et al, 2006).
The instructors need some basic skills that enable them create content using instructional design as well as pedagogical principles in producing instructional materials and learning objects. Instructors require some skills in administrative functions which include storing, cataloging and indexing for them to be in a position to make e-learning modules available to their students. Examples of e-learning contents include repositories, portals, digital libraries, search engines, learning management systems and ePortfolios. Instructors should also have skills that enable them to deliver content. Usually, content is delivered through a synchronous or asynchronous mode. Content delivery through synchronous mode involves real-time, instructor-led-e-learning where all students receive educational materials simultaneously and they also communicate directly with their colleagues. This is achieved through video and/or audio teleconferencing, internet chat forums, as well as through messaging. In contrast, asynchronous mode of delivery does not allow transmission and reception of information to take place simultaneously. Here the learners pace their own self instruction as well as learning. This can e achieved through e-mailing, newsgroups, online bulletin boards, weblogs and listservs (Ruiz et al, 2006).
In Canada, there has been an increasing demand and appetite for employing educational technology within health professions learning. The University of Toronto has not been left behind in adopting technology to transform the curriculum of health professions education. The institution’s Office of Integrated Medical Education (OIME) in 2011 foun...