An illuminative evaluation of a prosthodontic curriculum

2008

Abstract: 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. The purpose was to use a formative evaluation process to assess the impact of the curriculum revision at the level of classroom instruction. The observations revealed that seventeen of the twenty classes observed were teacher-centered, passive, and lacked observable effort to help students understand the relationship of the lecture content to the oral health problems. 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 lea...

Journal of the Irish Dental Association

Introduction: Divergence in undergraduate teaching methods in prosthodontics is widely reported, and this could impact on graduate dentists’ competence and affect patient safety. Objectives: To explore the perspectives held by senior dental academics worldwide regarding the undergraduate prosthodontics curriculum, teaching and assessment methods, and teaching staff profile. Materials and methods: Twelve senior dental academics from seven countries participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their perspectives and opinions of the undergraduate prosthodontics curriculum, and current and best teaching and assessment methods. Interviews were undertaken virtually, video-recorded and auto-transcribed. Semantic thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Results: Academic professors, consultants and specialists were considered the most suitable staff members to supervise students during preclinical hands-on sessions due to their experience level. Additionally, participants menti...

IP innovative publication pvt. ltd, 2019

Introduction: Student assessment is an effective tool for improving teaching performance. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prosthodontics practical teaching assessment by students of the Institute of Odontology and Stomatology in Cheikh Anta Diop University. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study carried out among 103 students in Master 1 and Master 2 in dentistry. The variables observed included student supervision, preclinical work and evaluation of practical prosthodontics learning. The Likert scale graduated from 1 to 5 allowed a quantitative assessment. SPSS® software version 17.0 was used for statistical analysis. The comparison of averages used Student t-test. The risk of error has been set at 5%. Results: The majority of students (65.1%) found the number of teachers insufficient. Learning objectives were stated for 60.2% of the sample and evaluation procedures were specified for 41.7%. For 73.8% of students, a demonstration was made at each session. The video projector was used according to 69.9% of students. Concerning the certification evaluation, 66% of them disagreed with the final single formula. Conclusion : Given the limitations observed in student assessment, an evalution of its effectiveness would improve teaching performance.

Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association

There are 59 dental colleges in Pakistan out of which 17 are in the public sector and 42 in private. However, only a few use problem-based learning methods, though it is a popular strategy in dental education all around the world. This study aims to assess problem-based learning model in dental education and explore the barriers of its implementation in a private dental college of Karachi. Qualitative case-study approach was employed. The philosophical stance used was critical realism. Qualitative data was collected by participant observation, video recorded observation and video elicited semi-structured in-depth interviews of five faculty members and 15 students. Results showed that students were more interested in interactive sessions while faculty members were in favour of problem-based learning sessions. Thematic analysis was done to generate themes. This research applies reproduction method to explain the necessary and contingent relations and causal powers. ---Continue

Journal of dental education, 2005

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. The purpose was to use a formative evaluation process to assess the impact of the curriculum revision at the level of classroom instruction. The observations revealed that seventeen of the twenty classes observed were teacher-centered, passive, and lacked observable effort to help students understand the relationship of the lecture content to the oral health problems. 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 ...

IP innovative publication pvt. ltd, 2019

Introduction: Student evaluation of teaching is an effective tool for evaluating the quality of teaching. This study aimed to analyze the evaluation of the theoretical prosthodontics teaching by students in dentistry. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study carried out with 103 students in Master 1 and Master 2 of dental surgery. The variables observed included student supervision, lecturing and evaluation of theoretical prosthodontics learning. The Likert scale graduated from 1 to 5 allowed a quantitative assessment. The SPSS® software version 17.0 was used for statistical analysis. The comparison of averages used the Student t-test. The risk of error has been set at 5%. Results: The majority of students (65.1%) felt that the number of teachers was insufficient. The objectives of theoretical teaching were clearly defined for 59.2% of the sample. Concerning the certification evaluation, 66% of them disagreed with the final single formula. Conclusion: Despite its validity and relevance, student evaluation of theoretical teaching has weaknesses that should be controlled in order to improve student training. Keywords: Teaching, Prosthodontics, Students, Assessment, Quality.

Gulhane Medical Journal, 2021

Journal of dental education

The purpose of this project was to evaluate a Research, Professional Development, and Critical Thinking Integrative Model developed for use in a dental curriculum. This article outlines strategies used in developing a competency-based pedagogical model designed to provide a tailored student learning environment with objective, measurable, and calibrated assessment outcomes. The theoretical model integrated elements of critical thinking, professionalism, and evidence-based dentistry across dental school disciplines; implementation was based on consensus of dental faculty and student representatives about course content, faculty allocation, and curriculum alignment. Changes introduced included the following: 1) conversion and integration of previously siloed course content taught in Years 1 and 2 to sequential two-year combined courses; 2) reduction of course and content redundancies; 3) delivery of courses by teams of faculty members in biomedical, behavioral, and clinical sciences; ...

2010

This study begins with an ethnographic self-study which allows for a reflection on traditional learning experiences. This study is located in the context of the initial development of dental health professionals within those higher education institutions that endeavour to provide education and training in a rapidly changing context. This context is characterised by the simultaneous need to address the blurring of boundaries and the dichotomies that exist such as the first world and the third world, the developed and the less developed world, the rich and the poor, health and wealth, the private and the public sectors, the formal and the informal sectors, the advantaged and the disadvantaged, the privileged and the underprivileged. xiv All the students who took the time and effort in sharing their views through the questionnaires in a very open way. The well-structured programme at the School of Educational Studies, University of Durban-Westville, where I commenced my studies and which allowed for me to test and develop my ideas. The facilitators, Chandru Kistan, Cliff Malcolm, Rashida Naidoo, Labby Ramrathan, Michael Samuel, Reshma Sookraj and Renuka Vithal who gave up weekends and developed the participants and the programme.

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH, 2017

Introduction: Preclinical dental education promotes development of competency and expertise before students work on patients, but this phase is devoid of exposure to real patients leading to challenges in teaching-learning. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the challenges faced by students during the process of learning preclinical prosthodontics. Materials and Methods: Two Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted with two different groups of students and one FGD was held with prosthodontics faculty. The FGDs explored the student's and faculty perceptions on the topics which were difficult for the students to understand and their suggestions on how these topics can be made easier to understand. The discussions were audio taped with prior consent and transcribed. Results: The students and the faculty felt that the subject of prosthodontics is vast, difficult to visualize and also difficult to correlate theory with practical aspects. Lack of clinical exposure coupled with use of conventional methods of teaching were identified as reasons for difficulty in understanding the subject. Both students and faculty members suggested that use of simulation, demonstrations, and videos could augment the learning process for the students. Early clinical exposure will help solve many problems encountered during learning and contribute to a better understanding. Conclusion: The students and faculty expressed a "need" for early clinical exposure to enhance the learner's understanding of the preclinical aspects of the subject. The present study highlights the need for change in instruction methods to enhance the learning experiences in preclinical prosthodontics of dental undergraduate students in India.