Editorial Article
Utilizing an Online learning Format to Train and Calibrate New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) Simulation/Clinical Faculty
College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, USA
*Corresponding author: Denise Estafan, Associate professor, College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, E-mail: de1@nyu.edu
Received: May 28, 2016 Accepted: May 31, 2016 Published: October 3, 2016
Citation: Eidtson WH, Montalbano P, Hershkowitz D, Estafan D. Utilizing an Online learning Format to Train and Calibrate New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) simulation/clinical faculity. Madridge J Dent Oral Surg. 2016; 1(1): 19-20. doi: 10.18689/mjdl-1000104
Copyright: © 2016 The Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Objective
To efficiently train and standardize all faculty working in the NYUCD Department of Cardiology and Comprehensive Care, on selected tooth colored inlay and onlay CAD/CAM protocols.
Introduction
New York University College of Dentistry is the largest dental school in the country, serving approximately one thousand six-hundred student doctors annually. A large student body requires a large faculty pool, and as such, faculty calibration represents a significant challenge for the college. Faculty, particularly part-time, is often difficult to reach requiring lectures to be repeated multiple times to accommodate them [1]. Yet calibration remains essential to ensure that teaching is consistent and accurate [1,2].
At NYUCD lectures are the most prevalent method by which faculty are standardized. However, due to the size of our faculty population and the complexity of their schedules, delivering lecture-based training and ensuring compliance poses a hurdle [3-6]. Currently, in order to accommodate all faculty, lectures are repeated over several days in order to ensure attendance by all faculty. This is both an inefficient use of the instructorsʼ time and a potential nuisance for faculty who are often forced to wedge the training within an already tight teaching load.
In order to address and improve the perceived logistical inefficiencies with lecture delivery, three online training courses were developed. These courses incorporated demonstration videos, which illustrate a given procedure, and quizzes, targeted to gauge the learnerʼs understanding and recollection of the procedure.
Method
Three online courses were developed utilizing Articulate (articulate.com, New York NY) online course content publishing software, and published on NYUʼs iLearn learning management system. 361 learners were enrolled in each course. In order to access the course, learners were required to have 1) Internet access; and 2) an NYU ID to log onto iLearn. The courses each contained three parts: 1) an explanation of how to navigate the online course; 2) a demonstration video, averaging 30 minutes in length; and 3) a 10 to 11 question quiz. Learners were required to achieve a passing score of 80% on the quiz in order to complete the course. If they scored below 80%, they were instructed to review the video and retake the quiz. Learners were allowed to take the courses in any order and at their own pace. Furthermore, learners could stop the course and at any point and return it whenever they were ready to complete it. iLearn was configured to nudge (via E-mail reminders) faculty who failed to take the courses or whose courses were incomplete.
Learners who had additional questions regarding the training were instructed to contact a content expert (instructor) who provided feedback via E-mail and/or directed faculty to a Podcast with additional information. Once the course was completed, learners were invited to evaluate the course via a brief 5 question satisfaction survey.
All learner data, including course completion status, number of quiz attempts, quiz passing scores, and satisfaction survey responses is captured within iLearn, and is used to assess the courseʼs effectiveness.
Conclusion
Although extensive conclusions cannot be drawn at this point in the intervention, initial reviews indicate that the main objective of compliance is likely to be achieved, with roughly 1/3 of assigned faculty completing the courses within a month of being assigned. There is also some indication of learner engagement and comprehension: learners are averaging two attempts at the quizzes before achieving a passing score of 80%. Finally, evaluations of the course are generally good, with convenience being cited as a major positive.
However, there is concern among some users of misalignment of the demonstration video with some of the quiz questions, which may need to be addressed in future iterations of the courses.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest with this submission.
Acknowledgement
Abstract that was accepted by ADEA 2016 conference in Denver, Colorado.
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