Live interdisciplinary teaching via the internet

The independence of teachers and students is one of the main advantages of teleteaching. Specialties considered unsuitable for combined lessons are ma nageable using the internet. This study outlines simultaneous communication with students and lecturers over long distances between the anatomical dis section laboratory, the operating theatre, and the lecture hall. In several three-directional on-line lectures, different equipment was used. Students could also participate using personal computers from other locations. Duri ng the presentations, the participants have the opportunity to discuss prob lems with any lecturer. It was possible to demonstrate sufficient transmiss ion capability for real-time application with the use of the new internet t echnology. No important qualitative differences can be reported between: ha rdware and software based solutions; or commercial and free offers. Althoug h it is often difficult to reconcile the timetable of surgeries and lecture s, multimedia on-line teaching via the internet provides new potential for interdisciplinary medical education. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.