The First NUS Student Medical Education Conference (9-10 September 2005) was organised by the Medical Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS. SMEC 2005 was specially designed for and with medical students and in this respect, we believe that it is the first conference of its kind in Asia. SMEC 2005 had the following objectives:

• Facilitate students' understanding of the major paradigm shifts in the teaching and learning process;
• Help enhance and enrich students' learning experiences;
• Empower students to become self-directed learners all throughout medical school.

The conference attracted 134 participants of which 89 were NUS medical students and academic staff. 34 were from local Junior Colleges and 11 were students from Australia, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan and USA.

Figure 1. Participants of the first SMEC 2005

One of two invited speakers for the conference, Professor Frank Christ (Ludwig Maximillians University of Munich, Germany) described a student exchange programme between his university and Harvard Medical School which not only contributed to major curriculum reforms but also enabled student participants to become academic staff and champions of the curriculum in their own right.

Figure 2. Captive audience at SMEC 2005

The second invited speaker, Professor David Newble (Flinders University School of medicine, Australia) captured students' attention by closing the conference with a talk on the trends of assessment, curriculum teaching and learning methods, information technology and the learning environment.

One important innovation in this conference was the use of a live audience response system. Several participants commented positively about the “interactivity with the audience via “KEEpad”. To demonstrate the speed with which surveys could be done, students were asked for their responses on the current position of the medical school curriculum and where they would like to see it, ranging from a teacher-centred, discipline-based curriculum to one using the SPICES model (Table 1).

Figure 3. The KEEpad to increase interaction with the audience

Table 1. The survey results on “Where do you want future curriculum to be” via KEEpad

The survey generated results in minutes rather than the few hours when a similar paper-based survey was done with teaching faculty a few months earlier. Throughout the conference, speakers shared visions of both the medical profession and the future of medical education. There were lively discussions on the importance of good communication, professionalism and ethics, as well as the changing technology and models that impact the medical education curriculum.

NUS alumni were also invited to share their practical tips on how best to do well in their courses. The audience were also treated to student lives and perspectives on the innovations of medical schools all around the world, courtesy of foreign students in the audience.

Finally, the President of the International Federation of Medical Student Associations (IFMSA), Ozgur Onur, spoke about the important role of the IFMSA and shared how much he had learnt by being part of its standing committee on medical education which could help shape future medical education. He urged the medical students present to get involved more actively.

On the whole, participants appreciated this new, exciting and inspiring educational venture. They highlighted that the "strong sharing sessions with medical students all over the world is one of the positive aspects of this conference and should be held annually to enhance collaboration between medical students from various countries."

The feedback on the conference was very encouraging. 95.5% of the participants rated the plenary and symposia sessions from "quite to extremely important". 90% found the conference relevant and useful. A majority of the participants found the sharing sessions by the overseas medical students "extremely informative, enlightening and enriching as they provided differing views on the same issues as well as allowed exchange of ideas and stimulated thinking". These sessions also "provided a better perspective and understanding of what the medical students all over the world are going through". There was a unanimous request for these sessions to be repeated next year.