MedLab

Play the role of a medical intern as you help the supervising doctor to diagnose and treat patients.

What's MedLab?

MedLab is an iPad-based interactive experience that utilizes everyday technology in your classroom or school to create an authentic medical science simulation. As a class and as individuals/teams you'll work alongside your (virtual) supervising doctor to diagnose and treat your patient.

Technical Requirements

To run MedLab in your classroom, you’ll need:

  1. A computer (Mac or PC) with a recent version of Google Chrome that is connected to speakers and a large monitor, projector or interactive whiteboard at the front of the classroom. 
  2. An iPad running a recent version of iOS for teacher control of the experience.
  3. An iPad running a recent version of iOS for each student or student group.
  4. An internet connection fast enough to stream video on all of the iPads in your classroom.

Not sure how fast your connection is? Head over to http://speedtest.net to run a quick test. We’d recommend a steady connection of at least 10Mbps down. Due to the use of specific sensors in the device, Apple iPads are required for teacher control and student use. Chromebooks and Android tablets are presently not supported.

Getting Started

Each MedLab session lasts about an hour. If you have a shorter class period, you may skip ahead during the session or opt to skip sections in the initial setup. For your first time, we recommend creating your account and doing a run-through before your class to familiarize yourself.

To get started:

  1. Grab your teacher iPad and go to medlab.msichicago.org/teacher.
  2. Follow the on-screen instructions to create an account or sign in with your existing account. 
  3. Select your medical scenario. (Note that only you know the outcome or particular disease. Keep this a secret. The students will arrive at this outcome as they progress through the experience.)
  4. Set up your computer, speakers and screen at the front of the classroom. We'll use this screen to communicate critical spoken instructions and visual status to the entire class. Ensure the volume is loud enough to be heard by the whole classroom, then follow the instructions on your teacher iPad to set up the "Presentation Screen." 
  5. When you're ready to begin, instruct your students to open the browser on their individual or team iPads and go to medlab.msichicago.org to join the session.
  6. Once all students have joined, you're ready to start MedLab! Press the "Start" button in the upper-right corner of your teacher iPad and the experience will begin automatically in a few seconds. 
  7. Utilize your teacher iPad for additional information and to pause or advance the class at any time.