Role of TCM Schools in pooling TCM data online for international users?

Posted October 28, 2008 · October 28, 2008

Hi All, especially TCM Teachers & IT people,

Do teachers in western TCM schools network with those in other

countries, including China?

Are there any plans for an INTERNATIONAL Website that collates the

outcomes from such exchange of ideas?

IMO, TCM Schools / teachers are in a unique position to advance TCM

information resources in two ways:

(a) by pooling and logging online their basic lectures & teaching

resources

and

(b) by introducing mandatory student-projects, whereby each student

would be asked to prepare research on specified TCM topics /

questions each year and to publish the outcomes ONLINE.

Before before being uploaded to the School's Webpage, the outputs

would be assessed and passed (or corrected) by the faculty.

Over the years, and over many TCM Schools East & West, the faculty-

passed student outputs could be amalgamated into a searchable online

TCM encyclopedia covering a vast range of TCM topics (including basic

TCM terminology, acupoints, herbs, formulas, patterns, S & Ss,

contraindications, etc, etc).

The scope of the encyclopedia could be increased further by inviting

TCM teachers, researchers and practitioners to input data on existing

topics, or to add new topics and comments.

Several colleagues have tried to establish TCM Enyclopedias online.

http://www.tcmpedia.com/doku.php and

http://www.chinesemedicinetimes.com/wiki/CMTpedia etc were brave

efforts, but are poor because of inadequate data and new content.

Because TCM is a vast field, such work is far beyond the capacity of

a few people. It requires massive input on an international scale.

That is where, IMO, a coordinated network and INTERNATIONAL Webpage

between the TCM Schools could shine.

Best regards,

Posted October 28, 2008 · October 28, 2008

Hi Anna, & All,

Referring to my earlier note (copy appended at the end of this mail),

Anna Hielm-Björkman wrote:

> great idea phil. If some-one creates the network, I can start getting

> our students in veterinary acupuncture to contribute ;c)) anna

Anna, I am addressing this mail also to members of the IVAS Education

Committee.

Vicky, would you please ensure that the Edu Comm sees this?

It will not be easy to establish a truly international webpage. But

could you (Anna) make a start by asking the IT Manager of the

Helsinki Vet School to open a directory in the Vet School site? He /

she may be able to set up a template for you to upload your pages.

I will help at that stage by giving you several useful links to add

to your site.

IVAS Committee, please note that IVAS could become the world centre

for pooling Vet AP data from international sources.

IVAS could open a new set of directories in its Website called

[../intnl_data/.. ]. It could issue secure (password-protected)

access to ONE senior academic member in EACH of the various national

groups to upload / edit data in ITS OWN SPECIFIC AREA ONLY. Viz, the

Korean or Brazilian nominee could alter data ONLY in the Korean or

Brazilian directory. But all data would be READABLE to all users of

the IVAS Webpages.

On the topic of teaching material, I plead again (as I have done many

times unsuccessfully in the past) with the IVAS Edu Comm to release

ALL of its TEACHING material AND exam QUESTIONS onto the open WWW.

What better way to foster the uptake of AP by vets internationally?

IVAS did not want to do so before now for two main reasons:

(1) Because IVAS might lose much needed revenue if vets decided not

to take the IVAS course because the data were online.

NOTE that revenue from its Courses is the mainstay of IVAS funding;

it simply CANNOT afford to lose that revenue. I KNOW that!!!

However, I argue that IVAS will NOT lose revenue by doing so.

Instead, IVAS will gain great international recognition as the TRUE

Coordinator of Vet AP, and the heartfelt thanks of poorer

international colleagues who may not be able to afford the cost of

travel & fees to take the official IVAS course.

Having seen the wealth of IVAS teaching material ( & the more the

better!) more affluent vets will truly appreciate the need for guided

and expert IVAS teaching to assimilate the CORE data in a practical

way.

That is my personal experience as regards my own lectures. Against my

wife's fears (like those of IVAS!), my lectures have been avaliable

gratis online for years. " Giving away " my lectures, rather than

costing me, if anything, has INCREASED the number of invitations that

I have had to speak on those topics.

I truly believe that this also will be the case if IVAS is brave

enough to do likewise.

(2) IVAS does not want to release its TEST (EXAM) QUESTIONS online.

It fears that candidates may " cram " before their exams and that

candidates that might otherwise fail may, thereby, pass.

I argue against that view. If there are ENOUGH (1000 or more)

questions online, candidates who have NOT understood the basics of

the course could not possibly get the 90% (pass) mark needed for

certification. Also, self-assessment (by trying to answer random TCM

questions) is a GREAT way to learn. Such Q & As would be appreciated

greatly by international vets (and human acupuncturists!).