Journal of dental education
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Comparative Study
Examining the role of collaborative assessment in a didactic dental hygiene course.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate a technique known as collaborative assessment considering students' and faculty members' perceptions of the value and utility of this approach. Twenty-eight dental hygiene students took eight individual assessments (quizzes) immediately followed by completion of the same assessment in a five-member peer group as part of a didactic dental hygiene course. At the end of the semester, student perceptions and course performance were examined. ⋯ Concerns for fairness and individual accountability were noted by both students and faculty. The mean group score for all quizzes combined (M=91 percent, SD=2 percent) was significantly higher by 16 percentage points (91 percent versus 75 percent) than the mean individual score for all quizzes combined (M=75 percent, SD=8 percent), t(27)=11.61, alpha =.05, p<.0005. This study suggests that additional measures are needed to ensure individual preparation and accountability when using the collaborative assessment process as a learning strategy with dental hygiene students.
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Comparative Study
Dental school deans' perceptions of the organizational culture and impact of the ELAM program on the culture and advancement of women faculty.
In 2006, deans of the sixty-four U. S. and Canadian dental schools were surveyed to gain their perspectives on their institutions' organizational culture for faculty, family-friendly policies, processes used by deans to develop faculty leadership, and the impact of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women. The deans reported (52 percent response rate) an improved climate in terms of gender equity, yet recognized that inequities still exist. ⋯ They agreed that ELAM has had a positive impact on their alumnae and their schools. Results are discussed in terms of how the deans' perceptions compare to faculty perceptions and within the larger context of higher education and other organizations. The responsibility of the dean to shape the dental school's culture, particularly in the face of the changing demographics of dental faculty, adds to the importance of the unique perspective provided by the deans.
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Practical and effective faculty development programs are vital to individual and institutional success. However, there is little evidence that program outcomes result in instructional changes. The purpose of this study was to determine if and how faculty development would enhance participants' use of critical thinking skills in instruction. ⋯ With the use of qualitative methods, eight themes emerged across the learning journals: teaching goals, critical thinking, awareness of learners, planned instructional change, teaching efficacy, self-doubt, external challenges, and changes made. Five of eight participants incorporated critical thinking skills into their presentations at a mean level of 2.4 or higher on a 5-point scale using Paul and Elder's behavioral definition of critical thinking skills. Faculty development opportunities that cause participants to reason through learning journals, peer presentations, and group discussion demonstrated the incorporation of critical thinking concepts in 63 percent of this cohort group's presentations, suggesting that if evidence-based pedagogies are followed, instructional changes can result from faculty development.
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With issues such as shrinking revenue, access to care, faculty workloads, and graying faculty, dental schools are faced with difficult challenges that fall to dental school deans to manage. Do dental school deans have the organizational skill sets and ethical frameworks necessary to address the challenges now facing dental schools? The purpose of this article is to pose questions and suggestions regarding some of the key issues in dental colleges today and to stimulate discussion in the dental community about needed changes in dental education.
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The need for an alternative means of delivery of a didactic curriculum to pediatric dental residents is described. It is our hope with this project to encourage a much-needed didactic curriculum for programs lacking faculty and to endorse other programs in which academicians exist but cannot cover all the material with which a resident needs to become familiar in the two years of postgraduate residency training. A decrease in faculty number due to retirement, debt burden, or marginal recruitment techniques along with an increase in positions in pediatric dentistry residency programs poses a unique educational dilemma. ⋯ Results from a 55 percent return rate show that the debt burden of most pediatric dental residents is well over $100,000 and that this affects a resident's decision to enter academia, as does the relative lack of positive recruitment techniques and poor faculty remuneration. The survey results affirm the need for improvement in the didactic curriculum of pediatric dentistry residents and show that program directors and department chairs also feel that an alternative delivery method using DVD or online/web-based programs would be welcomed. Despite their extremely heavy workloads, educators are willing to contribute by providing lectures or reading lists in their area of expertise.