ALTEX :: Alternatives to Animal Experiments

1993, Volume 1

Computer-Assisted Teaching in Pharamcology

Thomas Hummel, Joern Loetsch, Kay Brune and Gerd Kobal

Institut fuer experimentelle und klinische Pharmakologie, Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, D-Erlangen

SUMMARY

Computer-assisted teaching has become a valuable alternative to experimental animals in the training of medical students. The available software may be classified as follows:

  1. Computerized textbooks, which include text, graphics, animations, videoclips and sound.
  2. Programs prompting the student to make decisions which may be commented by the program.
  3. Interactive simulations of biological processes.
  4. Computer-based, interactive engineering of experiments which include the processing of off-line recorded data.

Within the last ten years, programs fitting all of these categories have been developed at the Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Erlangen-Nuernberg. Although both, development and maintenance are time-consuming processes, these programs have been introduced most successfully to medical students in pharmacology which, in turn, emphasizes the growing importance of computer-based teaching.

Keywords: computer-assisted teaching, pharmacology, animation, videoclips, interactive simulation