A b s t r a c t Objective:To develop a generic methodology for the online assessment of medical education materials available on the World Wide Web and to implement it for pilot subject areas.Design: An online questionnaire was developed, based on an existing scheme for computerbased learning material. It was extended to involve five stages, covering general suitability, local suitability, the user interface, educational style, and a general review. It is available on the Web, so expert reviewers may be recruited from outside the home institution. The methodology was piloted in three subject areas -clinical chemistry, radiology, and medical physics -concentrating initially on undergraduate teaching.
Measurements:The contents of completed questionnaires were stored in an offline database. Selected fields, likely to be of use to students and educators searching for material, were input into an online database.
Results:The online assessment was used successfully in clinical chemistry and medical physics but less well in radiology. Fewer resources were found to fit local needs than expected.
Conclusion:The methodology was found to work well for topics where teaching is highly structured and formal and is potentially applicable in other such disciplines. The approach produces more structured and applicable lists of resources than can be obtained from search engines.Ⅲ JAMIA. 1998;5:382 -389.Affiliations of the authors: The University of Leeds, Leeds, England (EB, CP-J, RGJ, PJRH, NJAC); St. James's and Seacroft NHS Trust, Leeds (HOH); University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales ( JAN).
RDDirect is a novel telephone help line which was established in response to national policy to improve research consciousness and capacity in the NHS. This regionally funded telephone referral service takes research enquiries from aspiring or experienced researchers, which are then "diagnosed" and directed to relevant sources of advice and information. The infrastructure for RDDirect includes a panel of research specialists, a Web site with links to relevant research resources, and a monitoring and follow-up system. The first year has been subject to both internal monitoring and evaluation and an external evaluation. Findings from both approaches show that user satisfaction was high, although uptake was low. Advisors were also satisfied, both with interactions with RDDirect staff and referrals received. The Web site was accessed far more than anticipated. A key area of concern is effective publicity for the service.
Access to research funding information is a significant barrier to the development of research ideas and the involvement of nurses in research. Nancy Lester and Christine Parker-Jones describe a new database intended to overcome this barrier.
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