title: The AMUSE-environment: a didactical environment where active multimedia use stimulates expertise.
abstract: The rapidly evolving information technology domain continuously offers new opportunities for computer aided education (C.A.E.). In a pilot project at the Department of Medical Informatics, we studied the possibilities and the limitations of multimedia systems for computer aided education in medicine. Different specialists paid attention to the medical, didactic, conceptual and technical points of view. From this teamwork originated the AMUSE-environment: an environment where Active Multimedia Use Stimulates Expertise. The AMUSE-environment describes a didactic framework that focuses on knowledge acquisition and application in complex content domains (the transfer and stimulation of expertise). In the context of advanced learning and random access instruction, the active involvement of the user is mandatory. Multimedia systems enhance communication by integrating different media (e.g., text, pictures, audio, video, ...) in one natural, user-friendly environment. The first application that uses the AMUSE-environment is developed in cooperation with the Haematology Department of the University Hospital Gasthuisberg. The haematologists filled the didactical framework with more than 500 full color illustrations and corresponding text and audio. The application gives a complete overview of the morphology of the blood and bone marrow cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Veldeman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arien
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pollaris
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Elen
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Boogaerts
mesh_terms: D001296:Audiovisual Aids; D001530:Belgium; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D005103:Expert Systems; D006405:Hematology / Q000193:education; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012984:Software