Diane Kovacs <diane@kovacs.com> is the primary instructor for this course.

Course Description: In this hands-on course participants will explore specific high quality consumer-oriented health and medical reference tools on the Web as well as learn to locate and select high quality consumer –oriented health and medical information. Print and commercially published database ready-reference tools for healthcare consumers will be compared to the core Web reference tools. In addition participants will acquire a core e-library of 'the best' Web-accessible ready-reference resources for healthcare consumer information.

Educational Objective: Participants will: · learn about and explore specific high quality consumer-oriented health and medical reference tools on the Web · learn to locate and select high quality consumer –oriented health and medical information. · will compare print and commercially published database ready-reference tools for healthcare consumers to the core Web reference tools. · will acquire a core e-library of 'the best' Web-accessible ready-reference resources for healthcare consumer information.

Agenda: http://www.kovacs.com/mlaceconsumer.html and http://www.kovacs.com/mlaceeval.html Note that in the previous renewal/revision the first unit of this course "Evaluating Medical Information on the Internet" was separated from this main course. It is now added back in as the first unit due to student confusion over the separation of the two courses on the Moodle. However, that unit alone will be taught separately when requested for free online as a separate very short course.

Need for This Course: In the past 9 years that we’ve been offering "How to Find Medical Information on the Internet for the Healthcare Professional and Consumer" participants have expressed strong interest and satisfaction with the consumer health resource related readings, lecture and activities. This course focuses attention specifically on the identification and use of high quality consumer oriented health and medical information on the Web as the original course becomes three separate courses each focused on a different aspect of the original.

The instructional methods used include Lecture, Demonstration, Discussion, and Hands-on Exercises.

Participant Materials: Web-based Moodle hosted lectures, forums, learning activities. PDF printable versions of lectures and learning activities. The course itself is online at http://kovacs.com/moodle/course/view.php?id=24. Basic syllabi are online at http://www.kovacs.com/mlaceconsumer.html and http://www.kovacs.com/mlaceeval.html In the event of an in-person presentation print versions will be handed out.

Facility Requirements: Participants must have an Internet connected computer with Web browser software and e-mail. Participants should know how to use e-mail and a current standard Web Browser, e.g., Mozilla/Firebird, IE etc. Current versions are preferred. When the course is taught in person it is ideally taught with each participant having an Internet connected computer but it can be done lecture, discussion and demonstration only with the hands-on Web-based learning activities being completed outside of the class meeting time.

Additional Evaluation: I will use MLA's standard evaluation forms.