Problem-Based Learning a Vehicle to Teach Critical Thinking, Reading the Scientific Literature

Problem-based learning (PBL) supplements the traditional curriculum at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and is used to introduce basic critical thinking skills and evidence-based dentistry. The objective of this article is to describe instructional changes made in response to student and faculty concerns and to compare the quality of student performance before and after the instructional changes. Instructional changes introduced in fall 2008 included replacing one learning report with a structured peer-reviewed manuscript critique in each of four cases, having the same course director evaluate all written assignments rather than facilitating faculty members, and eliminating midterm and inal assessment cases. The inal learning reports from irst-year dental students entering dental school in fall 2007 were compared to the inal reports of students entering in fall 2008. Final learning reports were evaluated using course grading criteria. Scores for students from fall 2008 were higher than those from fall 2007 for overall performance (p<0.001), overall background quality (p<0.001), overall clinical signiicance (p<0.001), and overall reference quality (p<0.001) as well as for individual components within each category. These results suggest that the implemented instructional changes were effective in improving student performance and reinforce the need to evaluate and revise instructional strategies in response to student and faculty concerns.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved Student Performance Following Instructional Changes in a Problem‐Based Learning Curriculum

Marshall

Finkelstein

Qian

2011

“…The educational setting also contributes to a culture for critical thinking. A trend to small groups in PBL, 33 for example, gives students the opportunity to engage one another and faculty members in critical thinking. In some cases, student‐led approaches have been expanded to student‐led clinics for patient care, thus challenging students to critically think from both a patient care perspective and a financial model perspective 34 .…”

Section: Dental Education Outcomes Needed To Address Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dental Education Required for the Changing Health Care Environment

Fontana

González-Cabezas

Peralta

et al. 2017

To be able to meet the demands for care in 2040, dental graduates will need to address challenges resulting from the rapidly changing health care environment with knowledge and sets of skills to build on current standards and adapt to the future. The purposes of this article are to 1) analyze key challenges likely to evolve considerably between now and 2040 that will impact dental education and practice and 2) propose several sets of skills and educational outcomes necessary to address these challenges. The challenges discussed include changes in prevalence of oral diseases, dental practice patterns, materials and technologies, integrated medical-dental care, role of electronic health records, cultural competence, integrated curricula, interprofessional education, specialty-general balance, and web/cloud-based collaborations. To meet these challenges, the dental graduate will need skills such as core knowledge in basic and clinical dentistry, technical proficiency, critical thinking skills for lifelong learning, ethical and professional values, ability to manage a practice, social responsibility, and ability to function in a collegial intra- and interprofessional setting. Beyond the skills of the individual dentist will be the need for leadership in academia and the practice community. Academic and professional leaders will need to engage key constituencies to develop strategic directions and agendas with all parties pointed toward high standards for individual patients and the public at large. This article was written as part of the project "Advancing Dental Education in the 21 Century."

“…First, the foundation is started during the first semester with concepts of critical thinking, use of the scientific literature, and evidence‐based dentistry. Students then engage in problem‐based learning (PBL) 10 . Second, for transition to the clinic, all departments engage students in small groups in patient assessment, treatment planning, and guidance with several departments applying the following protocol 9 : 1) a set of steps used by all departments delineating the patient assessment and treatment planning process and 2) systematic application of the steps to a patient/case 11 .…”

Section: Sample Entries For Our Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Model for Overview of Student Learning: A Matrix of Educational Outcomes Versus Methodologies

Johnsen

Marshall

Finkelstein

et al. 2011

A concise overview of an institution's aspirations for its students becomes increasingly elusive because dental education has evolving emphases on priorities like critical thinking and adapting to new technology. The purpose of this article is to offer a learner-oriented matrix that gives a focus for discussion and an overview of an institution's educational outcomes. On one axis of the matrix, common educational outcomes are listed: knowledge, technical skills, critical thinking, ethical and professional values, patient and practice management, and social responsibility awareness. On the other axis, methodologies are listed: deinition, cultivation strategies, measures (summative/formative, objective/subjective), institutional coordination, and competency determination. By completing the matrix, an overview of the process by which students reach these outcomes emerges. Each institution would likely complete the matrix differently and, ideally, with active discussion. While the matrix can irst be used to establish "Where are we now?" for an institution, it can also be a starting point for more extensive matrices and further discussion. Vertical and horizontal analyses of the matrix provide a unique lens for viewing the institution's learning environment.