STFM Denver Meeting 2009

Steven Scott at the STFM Village

Barrie Rosalinda and Erin Langille at the STFM Village



Jason Chao at the fmCASES Poster



The fmPDG receive the STFM President's Award!



Shou Ling finds a moment to rest...

Authoring Tip #5: Case Outline Hyperlinks

Now that everyone is coming close to producing a finished draft of their cases, we wanted to direct your attention back to the Case Outlines at the beginning of your case.

When these outlines were created, we coded each of the “D”s and “C”s (Definites and Coulds) in the learning objectives to serve as hyperlinks to individual text boxes. You probably noticed these links as you were reviewing your outlines. As we suggested before, we designed these links to serve as a place where editors and authors can carry on a focused dialogue for each learning objective. Even if you have not used this resource during the initial development process, we request that you now go back to your outlines and use these links to record how each objective was covered. This process should also provide a valuable global perspective on the case you have now created!

Eventually, the information from these Case Outlines will enable our editors to refine the comprehensive content matrix for the cases, ensuring that each objective across the family medicine curricula has been covered, in what case, and in what manner. That is why this is such a critical component.

How to format questions in fmCASES

When writing a question in the Wiki, please use a, b, c (i.e., instead of numerical lists) to indicate possible answers.

Additionally, you should then have your answer in this format: "The correct answer is a, b, and d."

Finally, you should have comments for each item, as to why it was correct or incorrect.

Hope this helps, and happy authoring!

Authoring Tip #4: Case Learning Objectives

By now you are all in the thick of the authoring process, so the tip this week focuses on a core element of the case content which should enable you to summarize the teaching in your case and draw the different elements together: case learning objectives. These learning objectives will be used by students and instructors as a quick reference for the key teaching your case accomplishes.

In each of your case outlines, you have probably seen the card we created entitled “LearningObjectives.” Inside there is a numbered list as well as the following prompt: “Please list 6-8 learning objectives for your case, distilled from your case outline. These objectives will appear to the student on the final case card.” They will also be incorporated in the Instructors’ Area of fmCASES.

Even though many of you have already completed a draft of your learning objectives, please take a moment after you have written the majority of your cards to look over your original case outline and compare it to the content you have now produced. Do the learning objectives capture the core teaching in your case for potential students? Could an instructor use these as a quick reference guide for what elements of the curriculum are covered by the case? If you have not written the objectives, write them with these questions in mind.

Authoring Tip # 3 - Multimedia

Time for another fmCASES authoring tip! This week, we discuss a critical component of every virtual patient case: Multimedia.

As you might have noticed, one of the first, standard cards we built in your case is the “Multimedia Outline”. We designed these tables for authors to map out, card by card, the multimedia you have or intend to include in your cases. In order to add text to the table, just open the edit window and click your cursor within the individual cell. Although we plan to take the clinical scenario images for your cases, this is a great place to make specific suggestions about how you want these photos set up and what they should demonstrate (i.e. specific techniques, positions, materials, etc.). The more specific you are in your notes, the higher quality the photos will be.

This table can also be used for non-clinical scenario images, such as x-rays, growth charts, breath sounds, or medical forms. Again, we ask that authors supply this more technical media, as you know best what contributes to the teaching of your case. Please remember that when you locate multimedia for your case, it is necessary to also retrieve the appropriate permissions for use. If you don’t already have the Multimedia Consent Form document, it can be downloaded from the fmCASES wiki as an attachment within the “Authoring Resources”. When you do secure multimedia and the necessary permission, please attach it to the appropriate card.

How to Delete An Attachment

An author asked "Do you know how to undo an attachment? I attached something and later found something better, but I can not figure how to undo the original attachment."

Here's one way to fix this problem:
Make a new card.
Copy the contents of the old card.
Paste the contents of the old card into the new card.
Delete the old card with its attachment.

Is there a better way to remove an attachment?

Authoring Tip #2 - References

References

References can be included in your cards in two ways: entered directly within the appropriate card section (Info, Answer Comment, Expert, etc.) or under the “References” heading in the wiki. It is critical that you include a clear numeric citation in the body of the text, delineated by parentheses, to link the referenced material with the reference at the bottom of the section (1). If you include the citation under the “References” heading, please also specify what section the citation belongs to. Please follow AMA style guidelines.

Reference:

1. Example. FmCASES Authoring. 2009; 1(2): 1.

When the case drafts are complete, we will gather all of your references into a “References” card at the end of the case, which students can use as a portable bibliographical resource.