Topic code - EES 1 Abstract— Study evaluated video-conferencing as a means of teaching by problem solving. Two video-conferencing suites at different locations were used to assess students’ performance in the design of a partial denture. The units were fitted with cameras for personal, close-up and distance image capture. To reduce bias partial denture design was chosen in which all subjects had prior knowledge and in a state of readiness. After an initial period where both groups achieved proficiency to the level that the video-conferencing became invisible, three successful designs were generated. Participants demonstrated reported group dynamics associated within a seminar situation. Index Terms—e-learning, medicine, training. video- conferencing. I. INTRODUCTION nformation technology skills are becoming essential for many profession and invasive in all walks of life. For the health professions IT skills are central to the delivery of evidence based treatment (EBT) and a precursor to the accessibility of some of the continuing professional education (CPE). CPE is compulsory for some health professions and a requirement for re-registration. The rate of change of computers is commonly characterised in Moore’s Law which states that computers will double in power every 18 months, but this speed of change has not been reflected in the development of teaching and learning. To accommodate the rate of change of new technologies the focus of training should be on transferable skills that will facilitate the access to the new technologies as they develop. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) courses at the School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield were revised with the teaching focus on transferable skills and independent learning. The changes also reflected Manuscript received March 25, 2003. G. Cannavina is an Innovation Fellow and Director of the WILeN Project at the Department of Adult Dental Care School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Claremont Crescent, Sheffield, UK, S10 2TA (phone: (+44) 0114 2717941; fax: (+44) 0114 2665326; e-mail: g.cannavina@sheffield.ac.uk). C. W. Stokes is e-Technologies Officer for the WILeN Project at the Department of Adult Dental Care. T. F. Walsh, is Head of the Department of Adult Dental Care and Dean of Learning and Teaching at the School of Clinical Dentistry. technology specific to dentistry, such as the CAD-CAM production of restorations and statistics, identified in a research project by Johnson [1]. Accepted methods of teaching IT skills results in an isolated learning experience as IT training has typically been provided as a self-taught exercise, with the instructions either on a paper handout or integrated into the computer system allowing students to progress at their own speed. Unfortunately, this approach has probably attributed to the ‘computer geek’ syndrome; that of persons who frequently use computers being perceived as being isolated and lacking social skills. However, in the last 10 years the Internet has transformed computers from isolated work machines into portals to the world of information. Computer users are now inundated with communications by email, real time chat systems and the Web. IT training has embraced this change, but from experience it still appears that the methods used when teaching students to use networked technology are as isolating as before. The nursing profession’s embrace of the Internet to deliver courses for remote learning reported advantages of convenience, cost and that it shows very little difference in the quality of work produced remotely compared to locally. However, it is also reported the feeling of isolation experienced by the students [2]-[4]. It seems that the transmission of data by the Internet and the availability of online chat and message boards is still providing an insular experience for the student or remote employee. The question, therefore, is how can it be made more personal? Video-conferencing After many false starts due to a lack in the quality of the technology, a new communications medium has arrived on the desktops of the masses that may dispel the feeling of isolation. Video-conferencing appeared in the early 80's as a learning tool, particularly in medicine in the form of Tele-lectures. These comprise of an event, typically a medical intervention, being broadcast live to a lecture theatre. Despite the claims of its supporters that it is an interactive experience for the student [5], it has been shown that students are reluctant to ask questions during the sessions, often for fear of having a camera zooming in on them [6]. Therefore, the main problem with telemedicine, as it has become known, is that it tends to result in the ‘passive viewer’ syndrome, recognised early on by Jameson et al [7]. It would be possible to overcome this possibly by employing the students’ time in observing for particular actions during the transmitted event and using this information to promote a later discussion. This ‘breaking through the glass’ as Ostendorf terms it, is essential if the Evaluation of video-conferencing for synchronous group learning Giuseppe Cannavina, Christopher W. Stokes and Trevor F. Walsh I