The Multidiscipline Labs (MDLs)

They're not the same MDLs

1967In 1967, the first University of Arizona medical students were taught in laboratory facilities that implemented a multidiscipline approach to medical education. This approach allowed for the teaching of anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, neuroscience, pathology, pharmacology and physiology in any of the laboratories.

Eight multidiscipline laboratories (MDLs) were constructed in the new Basic Sciences Building, four on the second floor, which were used by second-year students, and four on the third floor, which were used by first-year students. At the front of each lab was a chalkboard and projection screen. Students were seated at one of four four-person stations, each of which housed a microscope. At the center of each station was a table for lab work and a sink.

1990sBy the late 1980s, biochemistry, pharmacology and physiology no longer required the use of the MDL's, and two of the eight labs were converted to computer rooms and the Medical Student lounge. The others were modified to accommodate 24 students each.

Today, two of the laboratories remain on the second floor. The third-floor MDLs, renovated in 2006, are a tribute to the wonders of technology. High-tech and interactive, the third-floor multidiscipline laboratories not only enhance teaching and learning opportunities, they also mirror contemporary approaches used in "real-world" clinical settings. Where medical students at four-person stations once took turns studying slides through a microscope, today's students view digital images on large, wall-mounted plasma screens. Ten monitors, one for each student station, ring the room, their displays orchestrated by a faculty member at a central console. An instructor can control the monitors, and display comparing and contrasting digital images, and student groups can work independently, each controlling their own computer and monitor.

2007These new capabilities provide tremendous flexibility for teaching and for independent study. Instructors work with preloaded digital images but can supplement their sessions with presentations or digital images from their own laptop computers. In addition to microscope slides, they can show CT scans or MRI images and videos, DVDs or other material in the labs. Students can access course material and digital images from outside the labs using the Internet, or they can check out portable drives with digital images loaded onto them.

Like the original MDLs, these virtual labs are multidisciplinary. Technically, they are light years ahead. The ability to access a vast range of digital images and materials from outside the labs assures that practically any subject can be taught in these spaces. The applications of the technology are virtually unlimited and reflect the creativity and flexibility characteristic of the new College of Medicine curriculum.