A new European doctoral network, INSIDE:INSIGHT, brings together 12 universities and partners across 9 countries to transform how medical and healthcare students learn. Researchers from the University of Twente's TechMed Centre are among the lead supervisors shaping this initiative.
Technology-enhanced learning has the potential to make medical education more accessible and adaptable. Yet a fundamental gap remains: we still know little about how these digital tools actually affect the way students learn and feel in a healthcare context. Many educators and students also lack the digital skills needed to use them effectively. INSIDE:INSIGHT, funded through the European Commission's MSCA Doctoral Networks programme, sets out to close that gap.
What the network does
The network trains a new generation of researchers who combine expertise from engineering, medicine, and educational science. Doctoral candidates work on both their own research projects and a shared collaborative project. "In this project, expertise from engineering, medicine and educational science is combined to deliver an educational module ready for implementation in current biomedical curricula," says Marleen Groenier, associate professor at the TechMed Centre.
Training takes place through annual consortium meetings, workshops, bootcamps, online coaching, and research secondments across the partner institutions. The programme is led by dr Evie Vereecke at the Jan Palfijn Anatomy Lab of KU Leuven Kulak.
University of Twente's role
Two University of Twente researchers serve as main supervisors within the network. Marleen Groenier brings expertise in health technology and human factors. Frank Halfwerk contributes from the field of technical medicine. They will supervise doctoral students who will develop and study new educational technologies for healthcare training.
More information can be found on the website of the network.