HUMAN SYSTEMS EXPLORER

(DOCUMENTARY)

Pedagogical Evolution

Dr. David Roberts, a professor at Harvard Medical School who was one of the faculty collaborators in the creation of Human Systems Explorer modules, often reminds his students at the beginning of the class that it was only ten years ago that he himself was a student. In those ten years, though, much has changed - not just medical knowledge, but also the way that students learn. His student days came shortly after the start of Harvard Medical School's New Pathway, a re-design of the curriculum to highlight case-based learning. It was a progressive approach, but teaching was still limited to static tools, such as figures drawn on the blackboard and tables in textbooks. Until recently, the technology to create and deliver interactive diagrams didn't exist.

Today at Harvard Medical School, technology-based learning is part of the experience, in part because tech-savvy students insist on it. Dr. John Halamka, Chief Information Officer at the Harvard Medical School, explains that when it comes to new technology, there are always early adopters, just as there are always resistors, people who say, 'Pencil and paper have worked for hundred years. Why should I change?' But students now expect a digital curriculum and professors have followed suit.

Dr. Richard Schwartzstein, who has collaborated with Dr. Parker on multiple Human Systems Explorer modules, says that when he and Dr. Parker conceptualize a specific module's design, they start by analyzing the limitations of older, non-technology based teaching tools. In particular, they look at where students get confused, and then try to imagine whether the use of interactivity would help dissipate that confusion. For Dr. Schwartzstein and Dr. Parker, it's about making the learning process more alive, more visceral, so that students don't just understand concepts but really feel them instinctively.

And while students may push for cutting edge technologies, in the end, professors are often impressed at how effectively the new tools enhance the teaching process. Dr. Michael Parker works closely with individual professors to create modules to aid in specific coursework. Dr. Parker tells a story about a senior professor with over fifty years of teaching experience, who was initially hesitant to sign on but acquiesced after he realized that Dr. Parker paid attention to his ideas about which concepts needed emphasis, and built scientifically rigorous modules. "This person went from being my greatest skeptic to my greatest proponent," Dr. Parker says.