Virtual School

Introduction Technology is transforming the world, and virtual education will keep it up. To explore a career in e-learning world of medical sciences and to develop more flexible and student-centered training programs with multi professional education, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) has established the Virtual School.   Regarding the fast growing demand in medical fields for greater internationalization, more flexible and student-centered training programs with multi-professional elements are determined to commence a revolutionary approach to train tomorrow's health experts by using the latest advances in e-learning and technology which is being explored in Virtual School of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.   Established in 2011, TUMS Virtual School is reputed as the scientific pivot of e-Learning in Medical Sciences in Iran. It is also known as “the Center of Excellence for e-Learning in Medical education” in 2011 and is going to be the Center of Excellence in e-Learning in the Middle East in near future.  Since a virtual school describes an institution that teaches courses entirely or primarily through online methods, TUMS Virtual School is the premier provider of innovative online learning opportunities to prepare TUMS students to be leaders in a global society. TUMS Virtual School is an online learning platform to deliver quality and flexible online courses for the diverse educational needs of the TUMS students as a strategy for increasing the graduation rate.

Mission and Vision

The Virtual School aims to democratize access to the best education for everyone through one of the most innovative, and accessible learning platform ever designed. We are taking the knowledge and expertise of a medical e-learning organization and the passion and experience of TUMS’s top teachers to improve access to the highest quality of education.  We provide a teacher-led virtual classroom environment that equips students with online media center and guidance center throughout their online course experience. To promote public health and expand the science boundaries, to actualize the use of e-learning in medical education and making scientific ties with other international organizations and research centers, Virtual School is playing a vital role in medical e-learning education and training.

With this statement, we affirm our commitment to the principles and visions:

• Making an environment of research, education, scholarship, and   intellectual exchange in order to support a community of faculty, students, and staff in medical sciences,
• Enhancing qualitative and quantitative  development of e-learning education,
• Training professional, knowledgeable and responsible manpower based on the human ethics and Islamic values in all levels  in order to boost health society policies and to expand science boundaries,
• Earning the public's trust and respect as a premier virtual school through outstanding educational services and academic achievements.

Goals

A positive, responsive, and respectful online school culture does not happen in isolation but arises as all teaching and administrative staff focus on achieving the following goals set by Virtual School in a thoughtful and meaningful manner. We commit to our mission and the fulfillment of our vision by striving to meet the following goals:

Responsibilities

• Creating facilities, necessary infrastructures and presenting educational, research and technology services,
• Creating scientific relations with other public and private sectors and medical national and international institutions,
• Holding e-courses in master and PhD level for those attending courses held in other TUMS Schools such as Medical Education Program, e-Learning Medical Education in master level, Telemedicine, Educational Technology E-learning in  Medical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs, Medical Librarianship, Family Medicine Residency and etc.,
• Presenting Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) including Continuing Education Program, faculties development programs, short-term programs, workshops, and e-learning courses with collaboration of other educational departments.
• Collaborating with other educational departments of the University in order to present e-learning extra-curricular activities and to build necessary infrastructures.
• Research services including approving and running short-term (one year) and long-term (more than three years) research programs, research plans in all fields of e-learning, distance learning, e-health including fundamental research, developmental research, software technologies, clinical, epidemiology, sociology research and HRS.
• Information technologies services to build up and facilitate the infrastructures for necessary software and hardware for presenting educational research services such as: Learning Management System, Learning Content   Management, Management Information Systems (MIS), Interfaces, Simulation Softwares, and Telemedicine Softwares.

Virtual School's LMSs:

• Electronic Continuous Medical Education (e-CME) that is an integrated LMS & LCMS for Continuous Medical Education which  helps students in the medical  fields to maintain competence and learn about new aspects of their fields. http://cme.tums.ac.ir
• LMS; offering electronic academic degrees and certifications. NAMAD is the main LMS of Virtual School. http://namad.tums.ac.ir
• SARMAD; a TUMS virtual LMS for virtual clinical rounds and unique in its own kind, enables health practitioners to have the opportunity to meet with their virtual peers and have case discussions/studies or even discussions about published medial papers. http://sarmad.tums.ac.ir/

The system is designed to present both synchronous and asynchronous instructions and it has user friendly software, based on blended model (integrating e-learning and face-to-face learning settings).