Teaching and Learning with Videoconferencing at Regional Medical Campuses: Lessons from an Ethnographic Study

Abstract

Distributed medical education and instruction at regional medical campuses is becoming more prevalent. With its focus on connecting learners in multiple environments outside of traditional classroom or clinical environments, the role of technology is central to its success. In many distributed medical education settings, videoconferencing plays a key role. Over the course of a 3-year ethnographic study, we learned that videoconference technologies are more than the background for learning, but rather play an active role. We describe herein a series of practical tips for those working in the context of a videoconferenced distributed medical education program. Rather than treating videoconferencing technologies as something we can ignore, predict, or control, we hope that the tips help educators at regional medical campuses think critically about the realities of teaching and learning in a videoconferenced distributed context.