Doctors or Medical Students Listening to Their Heartbeats Using a Multiple Stethoscope

This is yet another example of technology-enhanced learning. In the absence of high-resolution imaging of the heart, auscultation was a vital skill to be learned by repeated practice. Once again, it is worth considering the balance between educational and technological advances. This is a consideration that must come to the fore when any new technology is used in medical education. E-learning in medical education is just the latest example of this ( ² ). According to Sandars, ‘the potential for e-learning can only be achieved if an approach is used that concentrates on the education and recognises that the role of technology is to enhance the learning, rather than trying to find educational uses for new technology’ ( ³ ).