AIXTRA Skills Lab
AIXTRA is the "Aachen Interdisciplinary Training Center for Medical Education".
Here Faculty of Medicine students as well as students from other faculties can acquire, train, and optimize clinical-practical skills. Furthermore, the Training Center continuously evaluates teaching methods and results among students. Afterwards findings are analyzed in accordance with scientific principles and the experiences are integrated into future trainings in order to attain higher efficiency. The Training Center is equipped with its own spaces for small group work, for example for practical classes, seminars, and problem-oriented teaching. Simulation and training models are also available to Faculty of Medicine lecturers in special training rooms with special media based on the needs of students. This makes the class more application oriented, interactive, and efficient. This enables something like video feedback to be optimally used in various learning situations.
In addition to different models, learning environments, and complex simulation possibilities, the Training Center also offers medical-didactic support. Students can acquire, train, and optimize a variety of clinical and practical skills such as examination techniques; assets of different vessel entries; social skills, such as communication in difficult situations, doctor-patient conversations, and working in a team; as well as essential aspects of patient safety like standardized transfers and crew-resource management, and much more.
Courses are offered annually for over 3000 students in AIXTRA. The offering includes basic skills, that can first be learned within the so-called system blocks ("Modellstudiengang Medizin" (Model degree program of medicine), 3rd to 6th semester) to anamnesis training in very special doctor-patient situations such as occupational, environmental, or palliative medicine, or even dentistry. May lecturers at the Faculty of Medicine make the implementation of courses possible, including the established AIXTRA- 1/4 Lecturer funding systems. About 12 1/4 project-based lecturers are funded in departments and institutes by student contribution fees for teaching in AIXTRA.
Awards and Honors
Ars Legendi 2013 Faculty Prize in Medicine
2009 GMA Prize, Young Instructors
"From Course to Curriculum" Curricular Effects on the Implementation of an Interdisciplinary Skills Lab (PD Dr. med. S. Beckers, MME, Dr. med. S. Sopka, Dr. med. M. Weishoff-Houben, apl.-Prof'in Dr. rer. nat. I. Claßen-Linke)
2007 RWTH Teaching Prize
AIXTRA Interdisciplinary Skills Lab (PD Dr. med. S. Beckers, MME, Dr. med. S. Sopka, Dr. med. M. Weishoff-Houben, apl.-Prof'in Dr. rer. nat. I. Claßen-Linke)