We are pleased to be recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2022-2025 for our Culture of Engagement initiative and our efforts to provide an innovative and collaborative environment that supports student success as they navigate their learning experiences in medical school.

As Idaho’s first and only medical school, the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) is dedicated to delivering a high-quality, modern medical education in a state-of-the-art facility. Through thoughtful incorporation of technology in the classroom and clinical training environments, ICOM is enhancing the way its students learn and practice the art of medicine.

Today

ICOM is one of the newest osteopathic medical schools in the country, and the only medical school in the state of Idaho. As a new school, ICOM is uniquely positioned to incorporate technology at a foundational level into its curriculum and facilities – reimagining medical education by providing its students with an innovative learning experience throughout the four-year program. Today’s students are digitally-savvy, and as health care systems become increasingly digitized – such as telehealth and patient data – ICOM students will be prepared to face any health care context.

Vision

ICOM’s goal is to provide the tools, environment, and collaborative culture that supports student success as they navigate their learning experiences. Empowered with an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and Smart Keyboard Folio, each student can customize the iPad for personal learning that elevates their unique experience. With AppleTV at every campus display, that unique experience instantly transforms into a shared one – fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation among students and faculty. By providing a flexible, technology-rich ecosystem to students, faculty, and staff, ICOM seeks to improve teaching and learning strategies – giving every student the opportunity to develop into a caring and competent physician.

Learning

Medical education is broadly based on team-based learning models.  During their pre-clinical years, students work in small groups with 5-10 of their peers to respond to clinical vignettes, learn from material, and create content to teach back to the class. With each student having a dedicated device, they are better equipped to collaborate using features like AirDrop and AirPlay. Finished projects are often shared through ICOM’s cloud-based teaching and learning platforms. These features allow both faculty and students to share notes, study guides, informational videos, and helpful resources with ease.

Many students use their iPad to create course-specific study guides and share them with each other. This sharing of resources fosters engagement and creates a community of learning that expands beyond the classroom.

iPad and the technology that learners have access to at ICOM helps students find their own best path to learning. Students who choose to learn exclusively on a digital platform have the opportunity to take notes directly on their iPad, integrating sketches, images, handwritten and typed notes, and links to other resources. The lifecycle of a medical student’s notes do not end at the conclusion of a class or exam. The notes students take today can be indexed and saved to inform their medical knowledge throughout their career as a lifelong learner.

What’s Next

In the near future, ICOM is looking to develop more robust training resources and engaging content for our faculty and students. By leveraging Apple Professional Learning Services and developing curated training resources, employees and students will become more empowered to leverage the technology they are already using. ICOM also recently built a multi-purpose lecture capture studio. With the support of products like AppleTV, Mac Studio, and Final Cut Pro, faculty will be able to bring their lectures to life in new and creative ways.