EASIER Project
Medical education of surgical and interventional techniques is a long and challenging process that takes place during graduate and postgraduate years. Traditional training based on tutor-apprenticeship models are now considered, as a general approach, to be subjective, time/resource-consuming and non-patient safe, and new structured programmes are being proposed to provide training and objective assessment in patient-free settings.
Technology enhanced learning (TEL) has been used in recent years to support these new paradigms: from virtual reality simulators/box trainers for technical skills to e-learning/augmented videos for nontechnical skills. However, there is no common EU pedagogical framework to guide their use, nor a TEL platform encompassing technical and nontechnical skills, and technologies are used depending on centres’ economical possibilities and funders’ choices rather than pedagogical value.
EASIER is a unique alliance involving higher education institutions and companies with leading partners in their respective fields that will, for the first time, bring together different training technologies to provide a multi-skills learning experience for surgical and interventional education. This Knowledge Alliance proposes an innovative solution for teaching and learning technical and nontechnical skills based on TEL. The solution will integrate TEL assets (virtual reality, augmented video, augmented box trainers, etc.), providing residents and mentors with a learning management system to programme training activities, have access to ubiquitous learning and monitor progress on their learning experience. The solution will be grounded on a previously validated learning framework, based on the pedagogical model developed in LLP project MISTELA. Through integration of different technologies, learners will have access to a comprehensive record of achievements and outcomes on both technical and nontechnical skills linked to any course taken.
News regarding our progress
EASIER Webinar 17/12/2020: Introduction to the validation trial
EASIER: Technology-enhanced learning of surgical and interventional technical and nontechnical skills
A short presentation of the project and its main objectives realized by the UPM group.
New advances in Technology Enhanced Learning for Surgery in Europe
The EASIER Project was presented during an oral session at the EAES Congress in London May 30th - June 2nd 2018.
ARCE Congress in November 2017, Bucharest, Romania
During the 9th National Congress of ARCE, held in Bucharest, November 23rd-25th 2017, Dr. Tiu from Medis chair and organized a session on Train the Trainer in Surgery and presented the paper: "The needs of change in surgical Training" with references to EASIER Project on the 23th.
Also, Dr. Tiu chair an organized aniSMIT Special Session called: "Bringing the future earlier", on the 24th. In this session he spoke about Technical Enhanced Learning in Surgery.
The Need for Change in Surgical Training
During the Prahova Medical Days in November, 2017, Sinaia, Romania, Dr. Tiu held an oral session about emerging technologies in surgical training, including the Easier Program.
SMIT Conference in Torino, Italy, in November 2017
The SMIT Conference was a chance to present the first progress made with the EASIER Project. The Medis group, represented by Dr. Calin Tiu, talked about the work done by the Consortium during a Keynote Lecture: New Technologies in Surgery and Technology Enhanced Learning.
The Easier Project was also discussed during the Steering Commitee meeting, as part of the section: EU Projects and Proposals.
EASIER Project Presentation and Press Release
This deliverable includes the project presentation, which was first presented for the Consortium on the virtual kick off meeting (14th November 2017), and a press release for the EASIER project.
Project Presentation - Powerpoint presentation (click here to download)