In the birthplace of Hippocrates, medical students are deftly juggling ancient doctrines with modern technology - taking the age-old oath as health-givers and learning the latest techniques via the Internet.
At the Athens Medical School, a group of students take notes as they follow an operation being carried out at the Areteion hospital some kilometres away. The procedure is being broadcast live on an audiovisual screen in the central library of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), where a computer-savvy generation is reaping the multiple benefits of e-learning.
The NTUA in collaboration with Athens University and the Athens School of Economics and Business, has brought higher learning into the 21st century with the establishment of tele-teaching theatres at all three institutions. Each is equipped with state-of-the-art technology including high-quality digital video screens and two cameras - one focused on the professor, the other on attending students. The multimedia rooms are similar to those found in the US and were among the first to be created in Europe. Students are able to follow televised lectures as well as interact with fellow pupils and professors from afar, as long as they have access to a computer.
Attending lectures from home
Several options are available to students: they can attend a lecture in the classical sense, i.e. physically; follow it in real time via computer from home or elsewhere; or obtain the material in electronic format so as to view it at a time suitable to them. Petros Stefaneas, a researcher at NTUA, pointed out the many advantages of the virtual classroom, for both students and academics. More specifically, students who work need not miss out on a lecture entirely, as they can take the electronic version home. Professors, on the other hand, can choose to pre-record a lecture on a video server that is then broadcast on the Internet, thereby obliterating their obligation of being physically present at the institution on a specific date and time. The first phase of the programme involves postgraduate students though it will soon be extended to undergraduates.
Professor Basil Maglaris, head of the e-learning programme at NTUA, explained that one of the most important aspects of the project is its ability to vastly improve access to tertiary education for all wishing to learn. "The educational services offered are not restricted to the field of traditional learning, but they assume particular significance when it comes to postgraduate and further training programmes," he said.
Maglaris noted that e-learning was especially useful for the medical field as practitioners are able to learn the latest techniques by actually viewing an operation online as well as offer telediagnosis services. Telediagnosis is a crucial development for Greece considering the large number of communities living on remote islands and in isolated mountainous areas. Furthermore, e-learning is allowing students to come into contact with students and academics at institutions within Greece and around the world.
Management data
The NTUA's Network Management Centre, with more than 3,000 computers, 2,500 ISDN phones and over 4,000 dial-up users, provides top-quality integrated communication services to the academic community. It manages the network, promotes the networking culture among NTUA students and staff and provides technical support for the tele-teaching infrastructure. It maintains an e-mail server, World Wide Web server and what is considered the biggest FTP (File Transfer Protocol) daily updated server in southeastern Europe.
One of the centre's main projects is the design, management and maintenance of the NTUAs advanced telematics network. It connects the three universities via the Metropolitan High Performance Network for Tele-teaching. This facility also transfers high quality images from university hospitals, such as the Areteion, to the tertiary institutions or the research labs.
Meanwhile, Athens University's telematics network Athina-NET, which serves the country's largest university community, has similar functions and aims. Academics from various universities and colleges are expected to soon participate simultaneously in lectures via the Greek Research & Technology Network (GRNET). GRNET, an arm of the Development Ministry, interconnects universities, research centres and development departments of industrial chambers in Greece and abroad through an advanced, high-speed network.
Funded by the EU Structural Funds, the Greek Education Ministry and the universities themselves, the e-learning programme looks set to expand significantly in future. The ministry intends to use the method to offer virtual training seminars to teachers.
