Students in Avonworth’s anatomy and physiology and advanced placement biology classes spent a morning on a mercy ship floating down the Amazon and stopping at ports where they provided health care via live video conferencing with the Challenger Learning Center in Wheeling, WV.

The experience was a simulation of what actually happens on medical ships such as the 1,100-bed facility now serving victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Teaching and Learning Technology Integration Coach Elaine Barron described the program as “…21st-Century learning that integrates good technology with classroom practices.”

Students worked in teams of seven to diagnose cases of real patients. They then described their diagnoses via the video conference with the Wheeling-Jesuit University “chief medical officer,” who then recommended treatment.

“I really didn’t know what to expect until we started, but it was a unique and very rewarding learning experience,” said sophomore Tyler Noethinger. pictured above with classmate Alyssa O’Brien, also a sophomore, as they videoconference with an on-screen expert and describe their patient’s symptoms.