John Williams, Melinda Meadows, and David A. Zahl

John Williams, Melinda Meadows, and David A. Zahl, School of Dentistry

Principal Investigator: John Williams, dean, School of Dentistry

Co-Principal Investigators: Melinda Meadows, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, David A. Zahl, Director of Curriculum Support, School of Dentistry

Project Title: Enhancing Curricular Flexibility and Student Engagement by Developing a Blended-learning Course for Teaching Dental Practice

Funding Level: $3,815

Abstract: 

In the Fall of 2017, the IU School of Dentistry (IUSD) will implement its Community-based Dental Education Program, which will require students to be away from the School for multi-week clinical rotations during the 4^th- year of the curriculum. In order to prepare students to better understand the complexities of the community practice setting, IUSD’s Practice Administration courses must be moved from the 4^th-year to the 3^rd-year of the curriculum. This curricular change is problematic in that the 3^rd-year of our lockstep curriculum is demanding, both in terms of academic rigor and demands on students’ time. Therefore a new approach to teaching Practice Administration is necessary in order to meet the needs of our students by maximizing the flexibility of the course and enhancing student engagement. To address this concern, we are proposing to develop a new blended-learning course that will combine traditional and nontraditional delivery methodologies, whereby students will engage in both limited face-to-face classroom sessions and online content. The online content may include both synchronous web-based virtual lectures and asynchronous learning modules and activates. The proposed project will be assessed using a multifaceted approach including, Senior Exit Surveys, course evaluations, faculty course review, student focus groups, student surveying, and analysis of pre-and post-intervention student assessment data. Preliminary data of the proposed intervention will be collected over the course of one academic year and project findings will be disseminated locally at the Curriculum Enhancement Grant Symposium and nationally at the American Dental Education Association Annual Session.