Do Dental Hygiene Students Fit the Learning Profile of the Millennial Student?

Abstract

Differences in learning and the cultural context of our students' life experiences are important variables that faculty members need to understand in order to be effective in the classroom. Faculty members are finding that millennial students' approaches to learning are often vastly different from their own and as a result feel frustrated in their ability to help these students with their learning needs. Cultivating awareness of how today's dental hygiene student learns as well as the millennial learner profile can help faculty members address this educational challenge. The purpose of this study was to identify the learning styles of three groups of dental hygiene students and determine if they fit the learning profile of the millennial student as measured by the Learning Type Measure. Given this new generation of learners, it was hypothesized that dental hygiene students' learning style preferences would fit the learning profile of the millennial student. The Learning Type Measure was administered to 101 dental hygiene students at the University of Minnesota, University of Arizona, and Virginia Commonwealth University. The results from the study revealed that dental hygiene students do exhibit learning style preferences consistent with the millennial learner profile.Prof. Blue is Assistant Professor and

An innovative educational approach in using instructional videos to teach dental local anaesthetic skills

“…Available evidence suggests that the use of videos in teaching practical procedures has pedagogical benefits . It has been reported that the use of multimedia favours millennial learners in dental education . Millennials (also referred to as Generation Y) are born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s.…”

“…Instructional videos are effective in assisting students in understanding and remembering the clinical skills and in refreshing their memory before assessments. Notably, they have proven valuable in meeting the needs of millennial students . The students were motivated to watch the videos as they recognised the limitations of face‐to‐face lectures and simulation practice to master skills that required accuracy.…”

Weakest students benefit most from a customized educational experience for Generation Y students

“…Most current dental school students fit the definition for Gen Y and have several characteristics that are unique to their generation. Research has shown that Gen Y students work well in group environments, multi-task often, are comfortable with technology use and need immediate feedback ( Elam, Stratton & Gibson , 2007 ; Blue, 2009 ). Educational conditions that cater to these features may create a more effective learning environment for Gen Y students.…”

A experiência de estudantes de Odontologia com dilemas éticos

“…Em relação ao gênero, os resultados obtidos apontam uma ligeira predominância de homens; estes achados são diferentes de outros estudos 10,11 e da tendência nacional. Nos Estados Unidos o número de mulheres tem crescido na escolha da profissão 12 .…”

“…Nesse estudo os pesquisados apresentavam idade entre 20 e 30 anos, a mesma faixa etária relatada por Oliveira et al, (2002) 13 , sendo a média de idade em torno dos 24 anos, um pouco acima dos resultados encontrado em outro estudo no Brasil 10 A graduação de profissionais experientes e qualificados em Odontologia é uma condição necessária, mas não suficiente para garantir a qualidade de cuidados de saúde bucal. O outro requisito é o compromisso para aplicar as habilidades com a integridade moral, prestação de cuidados adequados e de qualidade no melhor interesse dos pacientes.…”