Mary Beth Brady, MD, FASE

Sanjay Dwarakanath, MD

The psychologist Herbert Gerjuoy predicted that “Tomorrow’s illiterate will not be the man who can’t read; he will be the man who has not learned how to learn”. Although he wrote this in 1970, his words certainly ring true in today’s world, especially in the dynamic world of echocardiography education. At present, students of echocardiography have, at their fingertips, quite an array of educational formats. What used to be textbook reading and hands-on experience has now become a whole new realm of multimedia educational methods.

Remember when textbooks had words and pictures? How retro that seems today! Most contemporary echocardiography textbooks now include compact discs and/or companion Web sites. For those of us who studied years ago, this seems quite luxurious. For those of us in the education business, it can sometimes be a bit intimidating. Intimidating or not, multimedia education is here to stay. Scientists argue the case. Proponents of cognitive theory of multimedia learning contend that multimedia instruction is superior to mono-media instruction. It is not just researchers who are influencing change. The new generation of students expects multimedia instruction. It is what they know, how they were raised. In their eyes, a curriculum without multimedia influences is perceived as stale and outdated.

Not surprisingly, in today’s world of high technology, the Internet plays a critical role in education. It could be argued that the Internet has transformed the way we learn and teach in much the same way as the printing press did in 1460. Increasingly, the Web is being used for delivery of educational material, allowing “distance education“. For those new to this term, distance education “is a process to create and provide access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, or both”. Some echocardiographic Web sites offer advanced user interface options to correlate echocardiographic cross-sectional images with three dimensional 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 journal now offers a Web-based component which includes a ‘wiki’ section where learners can contribute to or modify content. Of course, the ASE has a robust Web site offering educational resources including self-study programs, digital video discs (DVDs), on-line discussion communities, and smart phone applications. All of these allow the learner to take an active role in his or her own education; learners can work at their own pace, at a time convenient for them.

The most recent addition to the educational platform is the use of simulation technology. This technology provides a training environment which simulates the echocardiographic experience. The novice sonographer manipulates a probe while viewing the corresponding ultrasound display. It is quite a different world from years ago, where trainees relied greatly on imagination, struggling with heart models, diagrams of cardiac anatomy, and paper triangles to represent the image plane. Although the expense of these systems can be significant, this type of training does not put the patient at risk, and reduces the stress on trainees and educators. In a recent review, Matyal et al noted that “the use of simulation technology provides a unique opportunity to create a virtual training environment to offset the initial learning curve and shorten the eventual training duration”.

Alongside the multitude of educational resources such as books, Internet sites, simulation technology, and other such modalities, the way in which we access these resources has undergone a paradigm shift in the last few years. Evolution of computers from desktop to laptop to tablets and smart phones has revolutionized the tools we use to access educational material, enabling us to learn at work, home, or even on vacation. Smart phone apps and electronic textbooks are just two examples of how echocardiography education can effortlessly travel with us wherever we are in the world.

Albert Einstein is rumored to have observed “I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn”. In this modern era, there is a new face of echo education, a face which offers a multitude of conditions and opportunities in which we can learn.