I decided to use the MITTEN project to showcase two projects:  1) The conversion of my undergraduate, distance-learning course in Health Psychology to a web-based course, and 2) The application of e-technology to graduate medical education. 

• The earliest distance learning courses were merely video-taped "talking head" lectures. The challenge for distance learning today is for the instructor to capitalize on the various technologies that are available to facilitate continuous improvement in instruction, as well as in student learning outcomes. One can teach effectively--or ineffectively, for that matter--with or without the use of  educational technology. My goal was to create a self-paced, interactive, highly engaging series of web-based lectures, around which the Health Psychology course would be organized.

• The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recently endorsed general competencies for medical residency education in six areas. The competencies focus on assessing and facilitating continuous improvement in such areas as interpersonal and communication skills, compassionate patient care, analytical thinking regarding medical knowledge, and professionalism.

• A major factor for medical residency programs in implementing these competencies is finding time within residents' busy work schedule to incorporate additional teaching time. This is where I come in. 

• My project entails the development of a series of educational templates for addressing and assessing these competencies in a web-based format. The templates are designed for easy use by graduate medical faculty.