Understanding key factors affecting electronic medical record implementation:a sociotechnical approach

Recent health care policies have supported the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) but examples of failed ICT projects in this sector have highlighted the need for a greater understanding of the processes used to implement such innovations in complex organizations. This study examined the interaction of sociological and technological factors in the implementation of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system by a major national hospital. It aimed to obtain insights for managers planning such projects in the future and to examine the usefulness of Actor Network Theory (ANT) as a research tool in this context

Engaging distance and on-campus students in problem based learning

The University of Southern Queensland in Australia offers multiple entry pathways to a suite of integrated programs delivered to oncampus and distance education students. The programs cover 2 to 5 years in 9 majors. A specially designed strand of four integrated courses using Problem Based Learning (PBL) was incorporated into programs and replaced some traditionally taught (lecture) content-based courses. The first offer of the new foundation course took place in 2002. It has since been recognised through a number of national and international awards. For the initial offer, delivering a PBL course to distance engineering students working in virtual teams, had never been done before in the world. It is currently delivered to approximately 400 students annually. Student feedback indicates that the course successfully inculcates attributes such as teamwork, communication, and to solve technical problems. All these attributes have been identified as being desirable by professional and industry bodies around the world