Announcements

BECON upgrade scheduled - expect downtime the weekend of June 28

Dear BECON Users:

The Education Resource Center will be migrating to the new version of Blackboard (Version 8, Basic Edition) on Saturday, June 28th through Sunday, June 29th. BECON will not be available during this time.  We have chosen the time of least impact to do this migration to take advantage of the functions and features that are available in the new version in order to better serve the needs of our faculty and students.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your cooperation.

New ERC web site

The Education Resource Center will be moving its web site to the BCM intranet at the end of June. This move allows us to use the BCM intranet content management system which means easier and more efficient updating and maintenance for the site. We also think the arrangement of the content will make it easier for you to find what you need. The look and feel is different from our current site but similar to the other BCM intranet sites. Check it out and let us know what you think.

http://intranet.bcm.tmc.edu/?fuseaction=home.showdraft&tmp=/education/erc/home

USMLE Step 1 Practice Exam now available from Exam Master

EXAM MASTER has released version 1.2 of its popular 350 question USMLE Step 1 Practice Exam. Like the original version released last fall, this exam provides a realistic USMLE Step 1 exam experience. The 350 questions are divided into seven blocks of 50 questions each. Each block is timed for one hour, a total of seven hours for the entire exam! Approximately 15% of the questions in version 1.2 are different than version 1.0. Questions cover both general principles and systems, and many of which are 2nd and 3rd order questions.

Access Medicine - new resource

AccessMedicine is an innovative online resource that provides students, residents, clinicians, and researchers with instant answers to clinical questions from the most trusted sources. AccessMedicine delivers the latest medical advances and knowledge from recognized physicians delivered in a digital aggregation with online desktop, PDA, iPod, and MP3 compatible device solutions. Includes Harrison's Online, Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment, Image and video library and more. Great for answer IPS learning issues.

Now available through HAM-TMC Library (http://resource.library.tmc.edu/) and available remotely through the College's VPN ERC-NST client. Check with the ERC resource specialists, Marina Huguley or Nadia Nassaj for more information. Contact us at erc@bcm.edu.

Free Blackboard software

Download, Organize, and Personalize! Backpack works like an e-mail client for Blackboard. It stores and organizes all your Blackboard materials so you can access it quickly even if the server is running slow or you don't have an Internet connection. Please come by the ERC during regular business hours or email Nadia at nassaj@bcm.edu for more information.

Need wireless help?

If you are a BCM student and need help setting up your wireless laptop connection, please email (melton@bcm.edu) or see Ken Melton in the ERC to make an appointment. Ken will be assisting students Monday through Thursday between 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm.