PERIOPERATIVE COUNCIL COMMUNICATION

The New Face of Echo Education: An Era in Evolution

Mary Beth Brady,MD, FASE

Sanjay Dwarakanath,MD

The psychologist Herbert Gerjuoy predicted that ‘‘Tomorrow’s illit-erate will not be the man who can’t read; he will be the man who hasnot learned how to learn’’.1 Although he wrote this in 1970, his wordscertainly ring true in today’s world, especially in the dynamic world ofechocardiography education. At present, students of echocardiogra-phy have, at their fingertips, quite an array of educational formats.What used to be textbook reading and hands-on experience hasnow become awhole new realm of multimedia educational methods.

Remember when textbooks had words and pictures? How retrothat seems today! Most contemporary echocardiography textbooksnow include compact discs and/or companion Web sites. For thoseof us who studied years ago, this seems quite luxurious. For thoseof us in the education business, it can sometimes be a bit intimidating.Intimidating or not, multimedia education is here to stay. Scientists ar-gue the case. Proponents of cognitive theory of multimedia learningcontend that multimedia instruction is superior to mono-mediainstruction.2 It is not just researchers who are influencing change.The new generation of students expects multimedia instruction. It iswhat they know, how they were raised. In their eyes, a curriculumwithout multimedia influences is perceived as stale and outdated.

Not surprisingly, in today’s world of high technology, the Internetplays a critical role in education. It could be argued that the Internethas transformed the way we learn and teach in much the same wayas the printing press did in 1460. Increasingly, the Web is beingused for delivery of educational material, allowing ‘‘distance educa-tion‘‘. For those new to this term, distance education ‘‘is a process tocreate and provide access to learning when the source of informationand the learners are separated by time and distance, or both’’.3 Someechocardiographic Web sites offer advanced user interface options tocorrelate echocardiographic cross-sectional images with three dimen-sional anatomic structures. Depending on the individual site,Web-based features may also include podcasts, daily echo rounds,and discussion forums. At least one traditional scientific journalnow offers a Web-based component which includes a ‘wiki’ sectionwhere learners can contribute to or modify content.4 Of course, theASE has a robust Web site offering educational resources includingself-study programs, digital video discs (DVDs), on-line discussioncommunities, and smart phone applications. All of these allow thelearner to take an active role in his or her own education; learnerscan work at their own pace, at a time convenient for them.

The most recent addition to the educational platform is the use ofsimulation technology. This technology provides a training environ-ment which simulates the echocardiographic experience. The novicesonographer manipulates a probe while viewing the correspondingultrasound display. It is quite a different world from years ago, wheretrainees relied greatly on imagination, struggling with heart models,diagrams of cardiac anatomy, and paper triangles to represent the im-

22A Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography

age plane. Al-though theexpense of thesesystems can besignificant, thistype of trainingdoes not put thepatient at risk,and reduces thestress on traineesand educators. Ina recent review,Matyal et al noted

that ‘‘the use of simulation technology provides a unique opportunityto create a virtual training environment to offset the initial learningcurve and shorten the eventual training duration’’.5

Alongside themultitude of educational resources such as books, In-ternet sites, simulation technology, and other suchmodalities, the wayin which we access these resources has undergone a paradigm shift inthe last few years. Evolution of computers from desktop to laptop totablets and smart phones has revolutionized the tools we use to accesseducational material, enabling us to learn at work, home, or even onvacation. Smart phone apps and electronic textbooks are just twoexamples of how echocardiography education can effortlessly travelwith us wherever we are in the world.

Albert Einstein is rumored to have observed ‘‘I never teach my pu-pils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they canlearn’’.6 In this modern era, there is a new face of echo education,a face which offers a multitude of conditions and opportunities inwhich we can learn.

REFERENCES

1. Toffler A. Future Shock. New York: Bantam Books; 1971. p 414.2. Mayer R. The promise of multimedia learning: using the same instructional

design methods across different media. Learning and Instruction 2003;13:125-39.

3. Honeyman M, Miller G. Agriculture distance education: a valid alternativefor higher education? Proceedings of the 20th Annual National AgriculturalEducation Research Meeting: 67–73. Distance education, according to theU.S. Department of Agriculture (December 1993).

4. Nemergut E. Openanesthesia.org: graduate medical education on theworld wide web. Anesthesia and Analgesia 2009;109:1-2.

5. Matyal R, Bose R,Warraich H, Shahul S, Ratcliff S, Panzica P, et al. Transtho-racic Echocardiographic Simulator: Normal and the Abnormal. J Cardiotho-racic Vac Anesth 2011;25:177-81.

6. A. Einstein, 1879-1955.

Volume 25 Number 7