Medical problem based learning supported by intranet technology: a natural student centred approach.

In response to the explosion in medical information, there have been considerable recent changes in medical curriculum development. The move to problem based learning (PBL) is, in part, a result of these changes. The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney has exploited a WWW based intranet for the development, delivery, management and evaluation of it's problem based, graduate medical program (GMP). This system has been employed to develop the 72 medical problems that contribute to the first two years of the GMP. The activities of more than 400 members of the faculty have been coordinated using the intranet to develop the wide range of resources to support learning in the program. Daily management of the curriculum is also enabled using Web site posting of bulletins, e-mail and ongoing development of technology training. Coupled with the PBL problems is a formative assessment system that provides questions and feedback that cover the whole range of learning topics. Part of the student and staff evaluation is supported both informally and formally through the use of a 'Feedback' button on each web page and web delivered structured formal evaluations, respectively.