Distance Learning in the Cloud: Using 3G Enabled Mobile Computing to Support Rural Medical Education

Distance learning technology provides essential support for rural medical education. Special care must be taken to create distance learning systems that do not exacerbate feelings of isolation inherent to distance learning and rural medicine. The most common distance learning technology utilized by medical schools for rural placements is expensive, location specific, and impersonal. New web-based, mobile technology is now available that can efficiently deliver curriculum content to remote students at lower cost and with minimal technical support. This paper describes a pilot implementation of an integrated online clerkship curriculum that offers both synchronous and asynchronous distance learning experiences. Ease of access is emphasized by utilizing inexpensive, widely available mobile technologies and 3G internet connectivity to support streaming video and live video chatting to achieve course specific goals in a social constructivist educational framework.