A Method for Creating Teaching Movie Clips using Screen Recording Software: Usefulness of Teaching Movies as Self-learning Tools for Medical Students

PURPOSE: I wanted to describe a method to create teaching movies with using screen recordings, and I wanted to see if self-learning movies are useful for medical students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Teaching movies were created by direct recording of the screen activity and voice narration during the interpretation of educational cases; we used a PACS system and screen recording software for the recording (CamStudio, Rendersoft, U.S.A.). The usefulness of teaching movies for self-learning of abdominal CT anatomy was evaluated by the medical students. RESULTS: Creating teaching movie clips with using screen recording software was simple and easy. Survey responses were collected from 43 medical students. The contents of teaching movie was adequately understandable (52%) and useful for learning (47%). Only 23% students agreed that these movies helped motivated them to learn. Teaching movies were more useful than still photographs of the teaching image files. The students wanted teaching movies on the cross-sectional CT anatomy of different body regions (82%) and for understanding the radiological interpretation of various diseases (42%). CONCLUSION: Creating teaching movie by direct screen recording of a radiologist's interpretation process is easy and simple. The teaching video clips reveal a radiologist's interpretation process or the explanation of teaching cases with his/her own voice narration, and it is an effective self-learning tool for medical students and residents.

Development of a World Wide Web-based Interactive Education Program to Improve Detectability of Pulmonary Nodules on Chest Radiographs

PURPOSE: To design and develop a World Wide Web-based education program that will allow trainees to interactively learn and improve the diagnostic capability of detecting pulmonary nodules on chest radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chest radiographs with known diagnosis were retrieved and selected from our institutional clinical archives. A database was constructed by sorting radiographs into three groups: normal, nodule, and false positive (i.e., nodule-like focal opacity). Each nodule was assigned with the degree of detectability: easy, intermediate, difficult, and likely missed. Nodules were characterized by their morphology (well-defined, ill-defined, irregular, faint) and by other associated pathologies or potentially obscuring structures. The Web site was organized into four sections: study, test, record and information. RESULTS: The Web site allowed a user interactively to undergo the training section appropriate to the user's diagnostic capability. The training was enhanced by means of clinical and other pertinent radiological findings included in the database. The outcome of the training was tested with clinical test radiographs that presented nodules or false positives with varying diagnostic difficulties. CONCLUSION: A Word Wide Web-based education program is a promising technique that would allow trainees to interactively learn and improve the diagnostic capability of detecting and characterizing pulmonary nodules.

Interactive Atlas Using Web Bowser: CT and MRI of the Temporal Bone

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to construct an interactive atlas of the temporal bone using a web-browser and to provide a template for web-based teaching files, using free and shared applets and scripts on the internet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HRCT and MR images of the temporal bone including its normal anatomy, tumors, trauma, inflammation, anomalies and vascular diseases were used in this study. Acquired radiologic images were transformed to GIF/JPG formats and to achieve appropriate image quality, were retouched. Text and image files of normal anatomy and diseases were written by HTML. JavaScript and applets were inserted in the HTML files for the interactive display of images and texts. In order to review anatomic features and diseases, a sarch index was also attached to the last part of the file. RESULTS: Using interactive images and texts, temporal bone anatomy and disorders were displayed. Scripts and applets were also useful for indicating specific points of interest when a mouse was placed over the anatomic sites. The atlas may be viewed in the form of a CD-ROM, or via the internet using any computer platform or web-browser. CONCLUSION: This web-based teaching file of the temporal bone offers dynamic and interactive education. It can be usefully employed as a template for the production of interactive educational materials, offering JavaScript and Providing suitable input for classes. It can replace texts and imaging contents.

Multimedia Radiology Self-Learning Course on the World Wide Web

PURPOSE: The creation and maintainance of radiology teaching materials is both laborious and very time-consuming but at a teaching hospital is important. Through use of the technology offered by today's worldwide web, this problem can be efficiently solved, and on this basis, we divised a multimedia radiology self-learning course for abdominal ultrasound and CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A combination of video and audio tapes has been used as teaching material; the authors digitized and converted these to Hypertext Mark-up Language(HTML) format. Films were digitized with a digital camera and compressed to Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG) format, while audio tapes were digitized with a sound recorder and compressed to Real Audio format. RESULTS: The self-learning course for abdominal ultrasound consists of 14 steps, and that for abdominal CT, 19 steps. Both provide images, voice anrrations, and related texts and graphics. The learner can navigate the course at his/her own speed, repeating or skipping any part, as required. CONCLUSION: 'Multimedia on the Worldwide Web' will facilitate easy management and maintenauce of a self-learning course. To make this more suitable for practical use, continual upgrading on the basis of experience is needed.