Principal Investigators: David Albright, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics and Oral Facial Genetics, IU School of Dentistry; Kelton Stewart, Chair and Graduate Program Director, Department of Orthodontics, IU School of Dentistry
Project Title: A Novel Competency-based, Preclinical Orthodontic Education Model for the IU International Dentists Program
Funding Level: $5000
Abstract: The entry pathway for internationally trained dentists matriculating into the IUSD International Dentist Program (IDP) has utilized a combination of existing curricular offerings and uniquely structured courses to demonstrate competence requirements similar to their D3 cohort prior to entering clinical coursework. Some of the existing course framework conflicts with clinic time that would normally be available to D3 students. This places additional burdens and stresses on IDP students who already may be facing challenges integrating into a new cultural environment. The D680 Orthodontics lecture and lab course is one such course. We propose to develop an assessment of mastery in the field of orthodontics that the IDP students take at the beginning of their first semester at IUSD as part of their integrated T643 course. Students that pass the test may forego all didactic material for the course, which will be available arranged in modules in an online format. Test questions in the initial assessment will be coded to correspond to specific material presented within each module. Students who fail to demonstrate mastery on the initial assessment can customize their study to focus on the modules in which they were deficient before re-challenging the exam. All students will complete a lab module and be expected to demonstrate competence in malocclusion identification and space management, just as in the traditional D680 course. The aim is to provide the opportunity for IDP students to better meld with their new D3 cohort and maximize patient treatment time in the clinic in the following semester.