Journal of dental education
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The aim of this study was to evaluate dental students' opinions regarding the utilization of a new grading software program for student self-assessment and a faculty-grading tool in a preclinical course. Using surface mapping technology, this program, called E4D Compare, yields a digital model of a student's preparation that is color-coded to show deficient areas. The program has now been used for two years at the James B. ⋯ The survey was distributed to all members of the Classes of 2014 and 2015; it yielded a 59 percent response rate for the two classes, with a total of eighty-one students responding. Overall, the majority of students preferred the E4D Compare grading system over traditional hand-grading methods. The grading system provided instant, objective, and visual feedback that allowed students to easily see where their deficiencies were and encouraged them to work towards an ideal final product.
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This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a dental hygiene faculty development course to enhance online teaching practices that foster a sense of community and satisfaction. The sampled population was drawn from the forty-seven U. S. dental hygiene programs that the American Dental Hygienists' Association identified as offering bachelor's degree completion or master's degree programs with 76-100 percent of coursework delivered in an online format. ⋯ Frequency of use ratings ranged from 4.0 (regularly) to 5.0 (always) on a response scale from 1.0 to 5.0. The results showed significant increases from before to after the course in participants' perceptions of the importance of four practices: activities promoting relevant, lifelong learning (p=0.03); faculty communication fostering a sense of community (p=0.04); encouraging students' self-introduction (p=0.04); and encouraging productive dialogue and respecting diverse opinions (p=0.04). The findings indicate a potential value for a faculty development course designed to enhance online teaching, sense of community, and satisfaction, even for faculty members with high self-ratings regarding best practices.
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Comparative Study
Nursing and dental students' and pediatric dentistry residents' responses to experiences with interprofessional education.
Interprofessional education (IPE) has received increasingly more attention over recent years. The objectives of this study were to assess 1) how nursing students' considerations concerning their own oral health and oral health-related knowledge changed from before to after experiencing IPE; 2) how nursing students', dental students', and pediatric dentistry residents' IPE-related attitudes and Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) scores changed after experiencing an IPE rotation; and 3) how these groups' attitudes and RIPLS scores were related. Data were collected from three groups who participated in an IPE rotation: thirty-eight of forty third-year dental students (95 percent response rate), all thirty-three nursing students (100 percent), and all six pediatric dentistry residents (100 percent) prior to the rotation, and 100 percent of each group after the rotation. ⋯ The groups' RIPLS scores correlated with these importance ratings. Overall, while the nursing students showed positive responses to IPE, the dental students' attitudes and RIPLS scores did not change as a result of the IPE experience. Future research should explore the conditions under which dental students are impacted by IPE.
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This project, utilizing a seldom-used approach to dental education, was designed to define the desired characteristics of a graduating dental student; convert those characteristics to educational outcomes; and use those outcomes to map a dental school's learning and assessment programs, based on outcomes rather than courses and disciplines. A detailed rubric of the outcomes expected of a graduating dental student from this school was developed, building on Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) standards and the school's competencies. The presence of each characteristic in the rubric was mapped within and across courses and disciplines. ⋯ The groups gave high scores to the importance of each characteristic, especially for knowledge and technical competence (then separate categories but merged in the final rubric) and for self-assessment, as well as the extent to which they are being taught and assessed. Respondents most commonly named critical thinking as the area that should be emphasized more. Mapping the curriculum and creating its related database allow the faculty and administration to more systematically coordinate learning and assessment than was possible with a course-based approach.
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The objectives of this study were to explore 1) how students across the four years of a dental curriculum differed in attitudes towards underserved patients and community service at the beginning and end of each school year; 2) how these attitudes changed as a function of participating in required vs. voluntary community-based activities; and 3) what attitudes faculty members held about the effects of community service-learning on students. Surveys were distributed to 440 students at one dental school at the beginning and end of the school year. The overall response rate for those surveys was 75 percent, with variations among classes: first year, 94 percent; second year, 92 percent; third year, 69 percent; and fourth year, 43 percent. ⋯ Participating in voluntary service-learning improved students' attitudes towards treating underserved patients only in the short run, and experiencing ten weeks of community-based dental education did not improve their attitudes. The faculty respondents' attitudes, however, were quite positive. The decrease in students' positive attitudes towards treating underserved patients and participating in community service should raise questions about why this loss of idealism occurred.