Journal of dental education
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A case study is used to illustrate how an evaluation strategy was used to assess classroom instructional practices following a multiyear institutional curriculum revision process. From January through April of 2003, twelve faculty in medicine and three faculty in dentistry who taught in the first- and second-year basic science courses within the dental curriculum participated in a qualitative study. ⋯ Findings illustrate the importance of using formative evaluation as a mechanism to assess change efforts and how evidence-based study can be used to support initiatives directed toward assessing active student learning and problem solving. Raising faculty awareness about the importance of acquiring evidence-based educational skills, aligning instruction with course goals and objectives, formatively assessing teaching, and providing learning experiences that will actually be used in practice are essential to ensuring that active learning and critical thinking are demonstrated in the curriculum.
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The journal club offers a significant opportunity to serve as both an educational experience but also as a real-world example of the application of the principles and practices of evidence-based dentistry (EBD). Designed around the American Dental Association's recommended four steps in the implementation of the EBD process, the journal clubs are held once per month for GPR residents. The structured process allows residents to formulate answerable clinical questions, track down with maximum efficiency the best evidence with which to answer the questions, critically appraise the evidence for its validity and usefulness, and apply the results of this appraisal in clinical practice as appropriate.