Running head: WHAT'S HAPPENING IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY 1

What's happening in Instructional Technology: Trends and Outcomes

Luay Askar

California State University, Monterey Bay

December 6, 2017

IST524 Instructional Technology

Dr. Sarah Tourtellotte

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY 2

What's happening in Instructional Technology: Trends and Outcomes

Technology is advancing in a manner that invades every corner and aspect of human life.

Instructional technology, on the other hand, is the systematic implication of technology with the

adoption of learning theories to enhance and facilitate the process of learning. In January 2008,

The Association for Education Communications and Technology (AECT) approved a new

definition. The new definition indicates that Educational Technology is the study and ethical

practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing

appropriate technological processes and resources. (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012).

The phrases to facilitate learning & improve performance are the starter-key to the use

of instructional technology in different educational fields. The medical field is one of the many

fields that implement instructional technology for both education and training. The medical field

benefits from implementing the two phrases of the definition of instructional technology; the first

phrase facilitate learning provokes the educators and curricula developers to implement

technology in their instructions and in the education of medical students. While the second

phrase improve performance enhances the use of design and instruction in training and

professional development and to implement new technologies in different medical specialties.

According to Hillirad (1970) Evidence indicates that instructional technology,

appropriately applied, can facilitate a more individualized, flexible, and adaptable educational

program of medical instruction (p.1). In his article1, Hillirad (1970) concluded that

implementing technology in medical instruction would reduce the burden on the teacher. In

addition, the teachers effort will be directed towards aspects requiring mental activities that are

not expected from technology.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY 3

All educational strategies and learning theories are applicable to medical education as

they are in other fields. The role of teachers is to set a goal, provide basic knowledge, guidance,

and give corrective feedback and opportunity for students to reflect on their learning. During the

old times, medical educators lack knowledge in teaching and learning strategies, a fact that

limited the implementation of technology in the classroom. Although teaching often is given

lower priority and recognition as opposed to patient care and/or research, this activity for many

physicians in academic medicine ranks second to their patient care responsibilities (Yoon,

2017). In order to use technology successfully and efficiently, medical educators should be

aware of the concept of their usage and limitations. The advances in technology enhanced its

usage in different aspects other than as media to convey information. This advances in

technology increased its use to enhance learning activities starting from medical school and

going through residency. Technology must be used to provide support for effective education.

Educational objectives need to be clearly defined and the appropriate tools selected to meet those

objectives (Ma, 2017, p.2). Also, in his blog (Ma, 2017), stressed upon the use of the suitable

technology to fulfill the right objective and not vice versa.

The use of technology in medical education evolved in a fast pace to include; computer

supported independent program for basic medical sciences, virtual classroom, interactive

distance learning and e-learning. During senior years, medical schools start to implement more

sophisticated technologies to enhance medical clinical education without risking patient health.

According to Wah, (2015, October 6), the American Medical Association is working with

medical schools to implement the use of a teaching version of the Electronic Health Record or

Electronic Medical Record to teach and train their students as early as second year. This is one of

the more advanced technology systems that is designed to train student to have a better decision-
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY 4

making, since the teaching version will trigger a warning if the student orders a test that will

harm patients (p.2). According to Han, Nelson & Wetter (2014), Medical students educational

technology needs differ between preclinical and clinical years (p.15). In addition, Han, et al

(2014) concluded that the need for technology increases as students progress from preclinical to

clinical years. They mentioned that, the main cause for this difference in technology needs is the

structured, stable, and predictable curriculum in the preclinical years, while education is

opportunistic, individualized and requires more flexible learning environment (m-learning) (Han,

et al, 2014). The advanced use of technology involved also invention of different instructional

design systems including virtual patients, virtual cadavers to teach human body anatomy or

three-dimensional visual material, in addition to, self-assessment and testing material using

different instructional design systems.

The Association of American Medical Colleges convened a colloquium for the Effective

Use of Educational Technology in Medical Education, (2007). During that colloquium, the

participants discussed three different aspects where instructional technology is applied in

medical education; computer-aided instructions, which include all forms of instructions delivered

by computer system such as power point and all other internet instructions. The implementation

of multimedia principles was found to improve short-term retention among medical students.

The other aspect is the virtual patient which simulates a real-life clinical case and it is of great

benefit for practice and for making clinical decisions without risking a real patient. The third

aspect is the human patient simulation, and this differs from the virtual patient in that it is more

task-based and the health provider can practice certain procedures as colonoscopy. The structure

of these instructionally designed systems follows the ADDIE model, and one of the instructional

design framework followed Gagnes nine events of instruction (p.12). Cheung (2016), mentioned
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY 5

about the use of instructional design model to construct workshops to teach medical procedures,

he implemented the Gagnes theory of instructions to teach the percutaneous chest tube insertion

(p.175). Rajaratnam (2015), used the same concept of instructional design to structure workshops

on Injured Hand Assessment. The online, asynchronous workshops were delivered on a Learning

Management System as flipped workshop and blended with a high fidelity simulated animal

models (p.3). In medical profession, education and training is targeting patient health care and

safety. Various forms of technologies and instructional designs are used to achieve this goal.

Battles (2006), mentioned that education and training are an important part of patient safety,

and they aim at helping to improve knowledge and skills to make patient care safer.

TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety) is an

example of applying ADDIE ISD model to patient safety (p.7).

The advances in technology had an impact on medical health professionals not only

locally but all over the globe including developing countries. In his article, Dawd (2016),

mentioned that most of the developing countries suffer from shortage in the total number of

professionals and in training on recent advances in the profession. Distance learning programs

can provide training and professional support using advanced technologies as m-health, E-

Platforms and tools as videoconference and other international Telemedicine (p.171).

Going back to AECT definition of instructional technology and specifically to the

improvement of performance phrase, this will denote the outcome of the aforementioned

implications and educational practices. This outcome is obvious, and is reflected on the areas that

are under the influence of the implied technology. In my discussion, I concentrated on the

technology and medical field, starting from medical school until the time of becoming a medical

practitioner. During that period, technology supported in building the solid foundations of the
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY 6

learners. When starting their medical practice, technology continues to support them in many

aspects that primarily targets patient care and patient safety and improving the physicians

professional development. Training is the main stay in professional development, and the current

medical simulation technologies facilitate conducting the required training. Also, technology

increased the accuracy of diagnosis and decreases unnecessary interventional procedures. Many

of the healthcare facilities are being digitalized including; electronic health records, laboratory

facilities, health information exchange that gives the professionals and patients to access the

information they need. When talking about trends and outcomes of instructional technology in

medical field, Robotic Surgery flashes out as the most sophisticated technology implemented in

the medical field. This technology had revolutionized the manner in which operative procedures

take place, and as Mack (2001) mentioned, advancement in the last decades made it possible to

perform a surgical procedure without directly visualizing or touching the organ being operated

on (p.572). He concluded, the technology is here, the potential is enormous, and the path is

minimal (p.572).

The field of medical researches has been enriched through implementation of technology

in field. Also, scientists have been able to investigate diseases on a cellular level and diagnose

the causative agent of the many diseases that remained ambiguous for a long. Finally, the field

of medical technology is proceeding into a flourishing future; one of the promising innovations is

the 3D printing. This technology is used to develop many of the educational items like the

different body parts to be used in anatomy instructions. The future expectation of this technology

is creating entire organs and making artificial prosthesis resembling the original missing limb or

part of a limb.
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY 7

References

Battles, J. B. (2006). Improving patient safety by instructional systems design. Quality & Safety

in Health Care, 15(1), 2529. http://doi.org/10.1136/qshc.2005.015917

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2464865/

Cheung, L. (2016).Using an instructional design model to teach medical procedures. Medical

Science Educator, 26, 175-180. Retrieved from

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs40670-016-0228-9.pdf

Dawd, S. (2016). The promise of e-platform technology in medical education. Ethiopian

Journal of Health Sciences, 26(2), 171176. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ejhs.v26i2.11

Effective Use of Educational Technology in Medical Education [Colloquium on

Educational Technology: Recommendations and Guidelines for Medical Educators].

(2007, March). Washington DC.

Han, H., Nelson, E., Wetter, N. (2014). Medical students' online learning technology needs. The

Clinical Teacher, 11(1), 15-19. doi: 10.1111/tct.12092

Retrieved from

https://dlifl.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d

b=eue&AN=93594216&site=eds-live

Hillirad, J. (1970). Instructional technology in medical education. EIRC. Retrieved from

http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED039758

Ma, T. P. (2013, October 1). Re: In medical education, should technology lead or follow?

[Web log post]. Retrieved from

http://blogs.einstein.yu.edu/in-medical-education-should-technology-lead-or-follow/
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY 8

Mack, M.(2001). Minimally invasive and robotic surgery. JAMA,285(5), 568572.

doi:10.1001/jama.285.5.568

Rajaratnam, V., Peri-Yein, T. (2015). Using instructional design principles in developing skill

acquisition workshops in hand surgery-our experience. MOJ Orthop Rheumatol. 3(2).

doi: 10.15406/mojor.2015.3.00084

Retrieved from http://medcraveonline.com/MOJOR/MOJOR-03-00084.pdf

Reiser, R. A. & Dempsey, J.V. (2012). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and

Technology. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Wha, R. (2015). 3 ways technology is changing medical education. AMA Wire. Retrieved from

https://wire.ama-assn.org/education/3-ways-technology-changing-medical-education

Yoon, M., Baltt, B. & Greenberg, L.(2017). Medical students' professional development as

educators revealed through reflections on their teaching following a students-as-teachers

course. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 29(4), 411-419.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2017.1302801

Footnote
1
This is one of the support papers for "To Improve Learning; a Report to the President

and the Congress of the United States by the Commission on Instructional Technology".