IDEAL+ (Infectious Diseases Education through Active Learning) is an international Erasmus-funded teaching programme running since September 2019 as a strategic partnership. It is a unique intercultural teaching programme aiming to disseminate innovative teaching methods at the undergraduate level and enhance medical students' Infectious Diseases knowledge in Europe.
The programme was born in 2014 when Université de Paris Descartes (now Université de Paris), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Roma and the University of Edinburgh first developed an international common course on Infectious Diseases for undergraduate medical students as part of the European Med-MOTION initiative that aimed at removing barriers between different medical curricula in European countries. This comprehensive course, built on teachers' mobility, was referred to as International Intensive Infectious Diseases Course (I3DC) and implemented in each university.
The programme grew in 2016 through a European-funded strategic partnership called IDEAL (Infectious Diseases Europe Africa Learning). Four new partners joined the project: NHS Lothian and Universiteit Antwerpen in Europe, and Mother Kevin Postgraduate Medical School and Saint Mary’s Lacor Hospital in Uganda. IDEAL developed three teaching activities: an international common course on Infectious Diseases (I3DC); a summer school on Infectious Diseases focused on high and low-fidelity simulation, case-based clinical reasoning, serious games and conferences from expert teachers in Europe and Uganda; and production of e-learning resources on Infectious Diseases.
Eight partners are now part of the IDEAL+ programme with the addition of the University of Athens, the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, the University Medical Center Utrecht and Aston University. The programme will focused on developing three complementary teaching approaches:
The programme grew in 2016 through a European-funded strategic partnership called IDEAL (Infectious Diseases Europe Africa Learning). Four new partners joined the project: NHS Lothian and Universiteit Antwerpen in Europe, and Mother Kevin Postgraduate Medical School and Saint Mary’s Lacor Hospital in Uganda. IDEAL developed three teaching activities: an international common course on Infectious Diseases (I3DC); a summer school on Infectious Diseases focused on high and low-fidelity simulation, case-based clinical reasoning, serious games and conferences from expert teachers in Europe and Uganda; and production of e-learning resources on Infectious Diseases.
Eight partners are now part of the IDEAL+ programme with the addition of the University of Athens, the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, the University Medical Center Utrecht and Aston University. The programme will focused on developing three complementary teaching approaches:
- IDEAL+ Teacher Training Seminar, a 3-day seminar opened to medical educators that aims at promoting excellence in teaching through the dissemination of more accurate and innovative teaching skills;
- IDEAL+ Student Infectious Diseases Training Course, an intensive course of practical teaching on Infectious Diseases for undergraduate medical students delivered over one week by a team of European Infectious Diseases medical educators;
- IDEAL+ Digital learning platform providing open-source resources produced within the programme and focusing on innovative teaching methods for medical educators and on Infectious Diseases for undergraduate medical students.
IDEAL is carried out by eight institutions:
- Université de Paris, France, the coordinator of the programme;
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy;
- NHS Lothian, Scotland;
- Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgium;
- Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany;
- Ethniko Kai Kapodistriako Panepistimio Athinon, Greece;
- Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, Netherlands;
- Aston University, United-Kingdom.
3 complementary teaching approaches
Teacher training seminar
IDEAL+ Teacher Training Seminar is a 3-day seminar opened to 12-15 trainee medical educators each year. It aims at promoting excellence in teaching and skills development by:
- Improving the level and relevance of European medical educators’ teaching;
- Disseminating more accurate and innovative teaching skills;
- Better addressing the unmet students’ need for practical training at an undergraduate level;
- Developing high-level teaching tools that will enhance exchanges between medical educators and create a community of teachers around Europe.
Student Infectious diseases training course
IDEAL+ Student Infectious Diseases Training Course is an intensive course of practical teaching on Infectious Diseases for undergraduate students delivered over one week by a team of European Infectious Diseases medical educators. It aims at tackling skills gap on Infectious Diseases among European medical students with a renewed and improved teaching to:
- Better prepare medical students to the challenges of Infectious Diseases control;
- Develop a strong common knowledge in Infectious Diseases among European students based on a renewed and improved teaching approach;
- Reduce the gap between European medical curriculums, thus promoting undergraduate students’ mobility.
E-learning
IDEAL+ digital learning platform will provide resources for undergraduate Infectious Diseases learning, for undergraduate Infectious Diseases teaching as well as for any teacher interested in innovative teaching. It aims at:
- Developing high-quality digital teaching and open-source education tools that will promote self-directed learning;
- Enhancing knowledge exchange between European medical educators.
