The new e-learning platform ILKUM (an acronym for "Interaktiver
Lernzielkatalog der Universitätsmedizin Mainz" or interactive catalogue
of learning objectives of Mainz University Medical Center) is a sign of
things to come: Students of dentistry in 2010 now only need internet
access to be able to download case studies with film and image material
showing disease patterns and surgical procedures directly to their
laptop, iPad or iPhone. As Germany's only e-learning platform, ILKUM is
oriented towards the "Profile and Competences for the European Dentist"
guidelines issued by the ADEE, the Association for Dental Education in
Europe, as the basis for its targeted learning program. The advantage:
The tool provides students with a guide structure that ensures they
are aware of what is most important in the study of dentistry. Not only
that, but ILKUM facilitates extremely rapid access to course-relevant
topics and information.

Even as late as 2009, the methods used to teach and train dental students almost exclusively required their
presence in the lecture hall or operating room. Until then, the typical
teaching scenario for prospective dentists would take the form of a
group of around twenty students clustered around a dentist's chair
trying to peer into the mouth of the patient while their professor
explained a particular treatment procedure to them. "This close link
with actual practice is unquestionably one of the most important
aspects of the training of dental students, and we intend to retain
this approach in future", explains the Chief Scientific Officer of
Mainz University Medical Center, Professor Dr Dr Reinhard Urban. At the
same time, Urban is in no doubt that the new e-learning platform
represents a real bonus in all respects: "ILKUM is the perfect study
aid for our nearly 350 dental students during their clinical training
as it provides them with excellent opportunities to individually
process and recap the subject matter. ILKUM thus contributes towards
long-term enhancement of teaching quality and of medical training."
Moreover, he considers that the new portal has been seamlessly
integrated in the current teaching concept while providing for
cross-over between the medical and dental curricula.

At present, the ILKUM intranet library consists of some 80 anonymized clinical
cases that are available in the form of PDF presentations, in some
cases with supplementary video footage of the actual surgical
procedures. All content can be viewed on a laptop or iPad. As an
internal user group, students can access the library using their
matriculation numbers. The portal employs a MySQL database on a
UNIX-based server in a Java Runtime Environment. The database is linked
with the existing ILIAS training platform of Mainz University Medical
Center. The portal development team of the Department of Dentistry of
Mainz University Medical Center plans to increase the number of
anonymized cases available online to nearly 200 by the start of the
2010/2011 winter semester. Another core feature of ILKUM is its powerful
search function that enables users to rapidly find information on
dentistry-related aspects. The system also has a calendar function that
can be used to search an extensive database of current and past
lectures.

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