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3.04 Education Computing

Technology plays a critical role in the medical education program. The MD program at HMS utilizes various platforms, which are described below.

OASIS, Canvas, and Panopto

For students matriculating in August of 2015 and later, OASIS, Canvas and Examsoft are the primary platforms for managing student information, evaluation and assessment, and course content, including class schedules, cases, syllabi, discussion boards, videos, and other resources that support the learning of medicine. The Panopto video platform is used in support of all course video content, integrated into the Canvas course pages. 

HMS Student Network

Student computing facilities are reserved for currently registered, matriculated Harvard Medical School (HMS), Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), and Division of Medical Sciences (DMS) predoctoral students. Click here for more information.

In addition, learning suites, and other classrooms in the TMEC are equipped with computers, large screen display technology, and conferencing, allowing learning resources that support case and interactive group discussions to be accessed during class sessions. Learning studios are also equipped with handheld microphones. 

Location of Public Computers

Computing Assistance

HMS IT offers both on-line and in-person assistance. For more information, click here. 

Computing in the Hospitals

HMS students have access to many hospital-based educational and clinical computing systems during their clinical courses and rotations.

Literature Searching

The Countway Library of Medicine provides extensive digital resources (journals, books, databases) and powerful electronic searching tools that are indispensable to medical education. Please check their website at www.countway.harvard.edu.

Email

All students are assigned a personal Harvard email account, which provides local and remote access to the School’s email system.

Student Computing Ethics

As in all other areas of your academic life, the use of computing technology should be undertaken in a manner consistent with the high standards of professional conduct appropriate to the field of medicine. The internet, social media and email may create additional challenges to health care professionals’ responsibility for ensuring patient confidentiality. To protect this fundamental patient right, you should avoid using these media to transmit information containing patient names or other medical records data that may be used to identify individual patients. When you are doing clinical rotations at our affiliated teaching hospitals, your strict compliance with patient confidentiality rules and regulations is expected, and lapses are subject to disciplinary procedures.

Please see Section 7.09 for guidance on the use of social media and Section 4.18 on patient confidentiality and HIPAA.

Getting Help

HMS computer issues or questions: 

For more information, visit the Student Computing web site.

Last updated 8/01/23