Information technology, education and health care: constructivism in the 21st century

There is little doubt that the information technology revolution can bring substantial benefits to both patients and the health-care profession. The u se of web-based distributed learning is currently experiencing an enormous growth in popularity among those employed in institutions of higher educati on. Despite this growth in interest, there remains misunderstanding among m any of those responsible for health-care education, about the learning and teaching issues raised by the increased use of web-based materials to educa te health-care professionals. This paper, while being broadly in favour of the increased use of web-based materials to improve the continuing professi onal development of those in the health-care professions, explores the argu ments surrounding this use and sets these in the context of other developme nts in the higher education sector. The author suggests that there is a nee d to concentrate on how new developments in information technology can be b est utilised to ensure that Internet-based materials are not regarded merel y as a source of information, but also as a basis for more constructivist l earning. The author argues that a failure to address this crucial issue wil l inevitably lead to missed learning opportunities in both theoretical and practical contexts.