Category: Restorative Dentistry

Restorative Dentistry Students Externship Program Summer 2020Place-Based-Learning Methodology

Laura Andreescu

Restorative Dentistry Department

RESD 1215 Introduction to Restorative Ceramics

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

For more than 14 years, the Restorative Dentistry Department established and conducted a Summer Externship Program for 2nd semester students, where students were assigned to an external facility for 24 hours as a place-based learning pedagogy.
Due to COVID 19 pandemic, the Externship Program – Spring/Summer 2020 semester needed to be modified in accordance with the distance learning methodologies, and follow the recommendations given by the Commission of Dental Accreditation. Therefore, the students are grouped in teams and assigned to an Externship Site, such as: dental office, dental laboratory, dental manufacturer, etc.; students must conduct online interviews and write individual reports answering the question: How was the Externship site affected by COVID-19 crisis?
The Externship Program, by engaging the Open Digital Pedagogy strategies, will give students the opportunity to have an experience outside of the classroom, even tough is virtual. Also, the students will learn about the hardship that many dental practices are facing in these times and how they are planning to return to providing dental services for their patients and retaining their employees. The scope of the program is to have the students be accustomed with dental practices and their role as future dental technicians in the dental filed. Also, it is important that students develop important abilities, such as empathy and verbal and non-verbal skills, which are vital in any medical/dental practice.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

Student Learning Outcomes as stated in the syllabus:
Skill: (Laboratory) develop tools needed for communication, inquiry, analysis, and productive work.
Inquiry/Analysis: derive the meaning from experience, as well as gather information from observation; describe and solve problems.
To develop/improve their verbal and non-verbal skills, the students must be concise in their questioning, being aware that the participants are more preoccupied with the daily operation process, thankful and polite that the Externship Sites participated in this program and dressed properly for the virtual interview, showing respect.
Similarly, to develop/improve their empathy skills, the students might ask:
How the patients’ will be treated in compliance with the social distance protocols?
What are the new regulations about the personal protective equipment, which will protect the patients and employees?
What measures can be developed for employees’ retention?
How many dental technicians lost their jobs?
What are the plans for the immediate future?
The Program will implement High-Impact Educational Practices by having students working in teams to prepare and conduct virtual interviews. Students will learn more about each other and hopefully they will develop strong relationships that can beneficial for many years to come, in their careers.
For this project, the intercultural awareness can be evaluated in two ways:
(1) how the students interact with each other to complete the Externship
By collaborating in their teams, the students will better their communication and organizational skills, because they will have to listen and respect their teammates opinions and express their ideas in polite manner.
and
(2) how students interact during the interviews, with the Externship Sites participants
The students must show compassion and understanding for the hardship that many dental practices experience in this time, prepare clear questions for the participants, and show interest in what the other person is conversing.

The students’ reports should reflect their empathy and verbal and non-verbal skills

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

The Externship Program Spring/Summer 2020 is in progress and as mentioned before in online only activity.
The estimated completion is before the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester, based on the availability of the Externship Sites participants and of the students.

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

Please see the above Program description.

Assessment: How do you assess this activity? What assessment measures do you use? Do you use a VALUE rubric? If not, how did you develop your rubric? Is your course part of the college-wide general education assessment initiative?

RD Externship Program and Intercultural Knowledge And CompetenceValue Rubric
(1) EMPATHY:
– EXCELLENT (10 to 8 points) (1) Student interprets intercultural experience from the perspectives of own and more than one worldview and demonstrates ability to act in a supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of another cultural group
– GOOD (7 to 5 points) (1) Student recognizes intellectual and emotional dimensions of more than one worldview and sometimes uses more than one worldview in interactions
– SATISFACTORY (5 to 3 points) (1) Student identifies components of other cultural perspectives but responds in all situations with own worldview
– UNSATISFACTORY (3 to 1 points) (1) Student views the experience of others but does so through own cultural worldview

(2) VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
– EXCELLENT (10 to 8 points)(2) Student articulates a complex understanding of cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication
– GOOD (7 to 5 points)(2) Student recognizes and participates in cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication and begins to negotiate a shared understanding based on those differences
– SATISFACTORY (5 to 3 points)(2) Student identifies some cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication and is aware that misunderstandings can occur based on those differences but is still unable to negotiate a shared understanding
– UNSATISFACTORY (3 to 1 points)(2) Student has a minimal level of understanding of cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication; is unable to negotiate a shared understanding

Reflection: How well did this activity work in your classroom? Would you repeat it? Why or why not? What challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them? What, if anything, would you change? What did students seem to enjoy about the activity?

Additional Information: Please share any additional comments and further documentation of the activity – e.g. assignment instructions, rubrics, examples of student work, etc. These can be links to pages or posts on the OpenLab.

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab