The overall objective of the interactive Internet-based lecture in veterinary obstetrics was to make teaching more effective both for the lecturer and the students. Specific objectives were to save the time needed to deal with questions regarding factual knowledge and to gain time for dealing with current subjects. Through the interactive lecture we wanted to facilitate repetition and preparation of certain subjects at any time. The students have unrestricted access to the subject matter and to the slides and pictures used in the traditional lecture. Furthermore an attempt should be made to increase the motivation for self-study and to lay a foundation for a medical-oriented thinking. The interactive Internet-based lecture in veterinary obstetrics was founded on the structure and the contents of the traditional lecture in the auditorium. The scientific content is based on the lecture-notes and relevant literature. The lecture contains 600 pages and includes about 500 slides, pictures, graphs and animations. By the means of an evaluation the acceptance and usefulness of the interactive lecture was tested. 152 of 201 students of the third and fourth year took part in the survey and filled out an anonymous questionnaire. These two years were chosen specifically because the students in the third year attended the lecture in veterinary obstetrics and the fourth year students had to participate at the practical course. The students were required to use and to interact with the lecture at least once in the department´s computer laboratory. However they could choose the date. The questionnaire included general questions related to their attitudes towards computer and Internet. Another set of questions aimed to determine the perceptions of students about the interactive lecture in particular and the use of such tools in general. The evaluation showed that the veterinary students used the computer or considered it as a learning tool in a limited way even though they judged the interactive lecture as good and accepted it. The continual utilisation also for the revision for the exam was proven. For the students it was important to have the opportunity to choose between the lecture in the auditorium, the use of Internet, CD-ROM or the printed version. However, the exclusive presentation on the Internet was not accepted very well. Also the integration of the interactive lecture in the auditorium turned out to be complicated. The long term success of this concept depends on the level of rethinking of the lecturers and the students, new curriculum guidelines of the study and the technical equipment of the universities.
