Diabetes Education


Interactive Multimedia--
Electronic version of a poster presentation


Diabetes Education--CQU Interactive Multimedia [logo]

Effective Multi-level Diabetes Education for Health Professionals: A 1995 CAUT-Funded Project

This page is an electronic version of a poster presentation prepared for the CAUT grant holder's regional workshop, Brisbane, February 1996. Original materials are in colour but have been inserted here as monochrome images to conserve space and download time.

This project seeks to reduce the tedium of teaching repetitive materials with a self-paced learning and evaluation tool for introductory-level university students, health workers, diabetics (there are hundreds newly diagnosed each year in Australia) and their families who require considerable information to effectively manage a diabetic condition. A user-tested multimedia teaching program on compact disk (CD) will provide students in pre-professional health programs with a tool for their own learning and for patient education; multiple entry points will enable the lecturer and student to tailor the program to meet individual needs. [Extract from the project proposal]

Development Team

Dr A C L Zelmer, Principal Investigator, Prof Amy M Zelmer, Co-Investigator, Ngit Chan Lye, Programmer

Reference Group

Prof D Battersby (Health Science-Charles Sturt), B Bryant (Clinical Pharmacist), A/Prof R Griffith (Australian Diabetes Educators), P O'Connor (Rural Health Training Unit)

Technical Advisory Group-CQU D Clayton, P Farrands, J Luck, P Lawrence, J Ulyatt, B Young

January 1996

Central Queensland University


Design and Development...

The interactive multimedia package is built around five different modules, each of which covers a different aspect of diabetes. As the package is being developed using an iterative design model Mrs Cruikshank is the only module developed in depth at this time. The other modules involve a young athlete, an aboriginal worker, a young child, and a pregnant mother. Each module has a number of individual scenarios involving one or more video segments, a number of activities which must be completed, and a 'care plan' generated through comments from the user.

The videos for the first module portray Mrs Cruikshank in her home and establish her as a real person with genuine concerns about managing her health. The student user of the package choses from the four available scenarios (pre-operative, diet, exercise, and emergency) and reacts to the information presented. As well as selecting from pre-set options such as in the diet scenario where items are selected from Mrs Cruikshank's fridge and pantry, students must compose a free text rationale for their selections. This rationale, such as a daily meal plan and dietary explanation, is saved for later examination by the student and discussion with the tutor.

The finished package will be delivered via CD-ROM for use on a basic Macintosh computer with a colour or monochrome display.


Interaction a priority-selection of items and rationale...


Hyperlinks to resource materials...

Resource materials include a glossary of terms, tables and charts required to assist with answering the scenario questions, 'how to' instructions, and background readings. These materials can be accessed via the 'bookshelf' button and hypermedia links while the scenarios are running or as stand-alone readings.


Publications describing aspects of the project...

Zelmer, A C Lynn (1995). 'Re-Examining the Myth: Developing Truly Affordable Multimedia', in Pearce, J M, and Ellis, A (Eds) (1995). Learning with Technology: The Twelfth Annual Conference of the Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, The Science Multimedia Teaching Unit, University of Melbourne, 571-578.

Lye, Ngit Chan, and Zelmer, A C Lynn (1995). 'Development of Interactive Multimedia: Some Experiences' [Abstract] , in Pearce, J M, and Ellis, A (Eds) (1995). Learning with Technology: The Twelfth Annual Conference of the Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, The Science Multimedia Teaching Unit, University of Melbourne, 609.

Zelmer, A C L, Zelmer A E, and Lye, N C (1995). 'Interactive Multimedia for Diabetes Education: A Progress Report', HIANSW'95 Conference Program and Proceedings, University of Wollongong, Department of Information and Communication Technology, 49-53.


Copyright © A C Lynn Zelmer, PhD, 1994-95. The moral right of A C Lynn Zelmer to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him.

[CQU Home Page] Content last modified 26/1/96, page format 29/7/97. ACL Zelmer