Preparation Course for Part I of the National Dental Boards: Lessons Learned

Abstract

Student performance on national board examinations is the predominant litmus test for successful programs in health science education. Many different strategies have been used to increase passing rates among students. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of a voluntary eighteen-hour National Board Dental Examination Part I (NBDE Part I) preparation course on student performance on the NBDE Part I and to assess students' perspectives on the preparation course. Students' perspectives were obtained through a questionnaire and focus groups. There were significant associations between the students' GPA and the overall examination score and between the course grades corresponding with each section and the section scores. Students attending sessions devoted to specific NBDE subject areas did not obtain significantly better scores for that subject area than nonattending students. Also, the students did not obtain significantly better overall scores for NBDE Part I than in previous years when a preparation course was not conducted. Students most frequently rated the Dental Deck's NBDE Part I Cards as the most helpful study aid, followed by old NBDE Part I tests. The most frequent student rating for most of the presentations was "somewhat helpful," while the most frequent rating for resources placed on Blackboard such as tables and summary material was "helpful." Based upon the findings, we recommended discontinuation of the classroom presentation portion of the board preparation course.

Effectiveness of an adaptive eLearning intervention on dental students’ learning in comparison to traditional instruction

“…17 In addition, researchers in various fields of HPE who studied the effectiveness of preparation courses for national examinations mainly reported significant improvements in students' overall confidence levels and satisfaction with the delivery of courses, rather than learning effectiveness. [24][25][26][27] It is important to emphasize that the greatest learning gain in this study was among students who used the ALP summatively.…”

“…Beyond the context of this study, numerous education programs use some type of supplemental instruction while preparing students to take standardized licensure examinations. Across different HPE fields, similar courses are valuable as reports indicate the relevance and importance of preparation courses, in relation to scholarly work, specifically in the context of dental education research 24,26,27,47 . Nonetheless, cautious interpretation of the results is warranted because of the specificity of the adaptive system and preparatory nature of the review course.…”

Development and Implementation of Online National Board Dental Examination Review Courses

“…In preparing their students for taking standardized licensure examinations, many educational programs utilize some form of supplemental instruction. The literature provides many examples of preparation courses and predictors for national examination success in nursing, medicine, pharmacy, and allied health sciences 2 , 4–10 . These reports document that various preparation methods can significantly improve candidates’ overall confidence and satisfaction when preparing for their licensure examinations.…”

“…Similar to pharmacy and nursing, dental students report utilizing a variety of resources to prepare for the NBDE Parts I and II. Formal review sessions, Dental Decks, board review books, class notes, and textbooks, along with released exams, have all been identified as the most helpful study materials 10 . Hawley et al found that students preferred using Dental Decks and the released exams as primary methods of preparation 2 .…”

“…It is interesting to note that while nursing and pharmacy students reported participation in board review courses as one of the preferred strategies for preparing for their licensure exams, this was not identified in the dental literature as a strategy frequently utilized by dental students. However, by participating in a formal board review course, students would conceivably spend an adequate amount of time reviewing the material, and the literature suggests that board review courses can be a valuable component of preparation strategies for these exams 2 ,6, 9–11 . All these findings played a part in the development of our online review courses to assist in NBDE preparation.…”