Clinic remediation can be a necessary part of learning a skill that involves utilizing knowledge gained in the classroom and transforming the knowledge into physical skills in a clinic setting.  There is an extreme level of importance to understand that timing is crucial when it comes to establishing the need for clinic remediation.  “Early identification of skill deficits is critical in order for remediation to begin early in the educational process before deficiencies become complex.” (1) Dental Hygiene education is a process and within that process the knowledge and skills gained build upon each other.  It is important to understand that assessing the level of comprehension that each student maintains along the educational path is essential to the success of a student within a dental hygiene program.   “When a student is unable to demonstrate adequate skill development to move to the next level, either academically or clinically, remediation often becomes necessary.” (1)

There are several different methods that can be used when clinic remediation is deemed necessary: “the most common remediation methods were the same as those employed in basic clinical skills instruction: skill acquisition using typodonts, one-on-one faculty instruction and additional supervised clinical practice time.   Other methods of remediation include faculty serving as a patient, peer tutoring, videotaping and occasionally dental office observation.” (1)

The faculty members have many responsibilities when it comes to clinic remediation.  These  items can include helping to establish guidelines and protocol for remediation standards as well as being chief investigators for those students who need the remediation experience.  “Faculty should provide feedback to guide students in self-evaluation to facilitate psychomotor skill acquisition and maintenance of competent performance.” (2)  In a synchronous session Mrs. Sanderson Stated that the students should not be surprised that remediation is needed.  The communication between the instructor and the student will be ongoing and upfront about the struggles that the students is having and that additional instruction may be needed if the level of understanding doesn’t improve.  It is the faculty that should be the one who initiate remediation.  “Remediation must be supported and guided by the faculty who are to assume responsibility for clinical skill remediation instruction.” (1)

Ultimately remediation is a process that needs to be established with the options for adjustments to assure that the specific needs of the student are met so that they will be able to succeed in the dental hygiene program.  Timing and specific instruction options will help the student to overcome the challenges that they are faced with.  Dental hygiene education is all about learning new skills and application of knowledge into the clinic atmosphere.  Remediation maybe necessary in order for students to become proficient in the complex and challenging career as a dental hygienist.  Education as all about learning, growing and obtaining new skills.  We all weren’t born hygienists.  It took time, practice and patience (and sometime remediation) to become competent oral health care providers

1. Factors Associated with Clinical Skill Remediation in Dental Hygiene Education Programs.  Wood, Mitchell, Holt and Branson.  The Journal Of Dental Hygiene, Vol.88, No. 1, February 2014.

2. An Assessment of Issues Related to Clinical Skill Remediation in Dental Hygiene Education.  Branson and Toevs.  Journal of Dental Hygiene, Vol. 73, No.4, Fall 1999

The clinical and classroom information and experiences encompass the vital components of a dental hygiene curriculum.   Ensuring that the students have a complete understanding of how to incorporate and utilize information gained in the classroom setting into clinical situations is vital for the students and instructors in the success of the dental hygiene program.  Establishing the habits of pre-clinic and post-clinic conferences is a way to establish goals, focus attention and to emphasize the information gained from classroom and link it to experiences gained in the clinic. This process of these conferences will allow for a deeper level of thinking and learning to occur.  Students will no longer just be able to recite information (lowest level of cognitive domain) they will be able to adapt to situations and create solutions to any problem that they come in contact with and be critical in their thinking about how they responded to the situation ( highest of cognitive domain). (234-237)

Preconference is intended to establish goals for the day and prepare the student for the scenarios that they come in contact with that day.  This time may establish a level of understanding from the instructor’s point of view as to how well prepared each student is on that given day. (181)

Post-conference is a great way to allow for the student to self-reflect on the day and what went right, what could have been better and what they learned during that particular clinic experience. (195)

Establishing the habits of preparing and evaluating our performances will create lasting habits that carry over into the real world.  Connecting the information we learn from the classroom and incorporating a deeper understanding in the clinic experiences will cause a  longer lasting and more meaningful educational journey to occur.

Clinical Instruction and Evaluation, a Teaching Resource, 3rd Edition.  Andrea O’Connor

This class was full of valuable information that I will carry with me and be able to utilize in my future career.  I really enjoyed the fact that this class was a continuation, to some degree, of Dental Hygiene 6100.  We were able to see a great way to start the beginnings of planning a course with goals and objectives in 6100 and then taking those items and incorporating them into a complete syllabus by the end of 7100.  These are tools, proper methods of creating a syllabus, that will be extremely valuable in the future.  Creating our own syllabus allowed me to understand how thorough and involved of a process that creating a syllabus actually is.  I know that when is comes to creating my first syllabus that I will be reaching for my notes and examples to guide me along the way.

I also think there was so much great information on innovation in the classroom.  I love the fact that I am embracing the new technologies that I have been introduced to and that exist for education.  I aspire to be able to utilize things like Connect in order to be able teach students at a distance.  I do think that realizing that innovation in the classroom can incorporate the most extravagant and newest technologies, but that the flash and the flare are not always necessary.  Innovation comes from deep within.  It comes from a place of wanting the best for your students and searching for the best ways to improve the students’ abilities to learn and to utilize the information given to them.  Innovation is interactive and always evolving to meet the needs of our students.  Innovation is constantly searching to improve in my abilities as an instructor in order to make the ones I teach become better learners.  Innovation is a process and a journey that should last the span of one’s career.

I enjoyed, although with trepidation at the beginning, the many new things I have experienced this semester.  I think my favorite project was the Pecha Kucha presentation.  If I remember correctly in our first synchronous meeting when we went through the syllabus for the semester we were first introduced to our assignment for the Pecha Kucha presentation.  I was immediately thinking and my wheels were turning quickly.  I had definite questions about how I would be able to do this project, but somehow I was able to look past the nerves and I was inspired.  This project was a great way to express verbally and visually about a topic that was important to each and everyone of us.  Yes, this was a project to introduce us to a new process of presentation, but I think it was also to stir up passion within ourselves.  I was so excited to present my project to everyone else, but I think I was just as excited to hear what everyone else was passionate about.  I remember the night of the presentation and how great it was to go on everyone’s journey.  Chad’s family, Lauren’s trip to Ireland, Brittany’s Disney vacation, Robert’s love for the car of my Husband’s dreams, and Amy’s amazing memories of her time at OSU.   I was honored to be able to experience each unique passion everyone presented.

There is so much I will take from this class.  Putting content aside, and not discounting any content at all, there were many valuable things that I have gained from this class.  I know some of you might be aware, but this journey of getting my Master’s has been a dream of mine since the quarter after I graduated.  I was not so sure that I would be able to keep up and grasp all of the things I would need to in order to be a success in this program.  This class, the projects and the entire process has given and invaluable sense of confidence within myself.  I have gained so much information and insight regarding a confirmation of the passion I have about becoming a dental hygiene educator.  So, I want to thank all of you for being an incredible part of this journey.  I have learned so much from each and every one of you.  I will take one of the things I learned from training the half ironman and apply it to my education career, and that is to get comfortable, being uncomfortable.  I will strive to always try new things for the greater good of my students and their journeys and never give up on the process.

As soon as I read the question/topic for this blog I knew exactly the type of technology that I would like to incorporate within my classroom.  From the very first semester, I was fascinated with the Voice Thread technology.  I was amazed how the technology not only allowed me to create very interesting, I thought, Voice Threads, but that fact that I was reinforcing the learning process as I went through the steps to create my own Voice Thread was amazing.  I also enjoyed listening to other classmates Voice Threads.  The information and graphics they placed in their presentations had a lasting effect on me.  I was not only using my visual learning but my auditory learning at the same time.  This technology allowed me to leave comments and thoughts about the Threads that I was learning from.  I think this technology is an easy way to actively engage learners and instructors in a rich environment that can work in the traditional classroom setting and be extremely successful in online classes as well.

There was so much information to support the effects and implementation of the Voice Thread technology.  One study entitled: Evaluating pedagogical affordances of media sharing Web 2.0 technologies: a case Study, by Kevin Burden and Simon Atkinson, indicated that ,” responses from participants and tutors that Voice Thread is  a useful instrument through which to evaluate the potential pedagogical value of a particular application set within a wider sociocultural context.”  This study showed many examples of how to use the Voice Thread technology to “increase student participation, creative thinking and greater learning opportunities.”  As a soon to be instructor, I believe that is the goal.  Give your students information and they in turn can interpret the information, utilize the information and be able to explain things to others.  Being able to use critical thinking and in fact teaching their classmates will enrich not only their learning process, but the learning experience for their classmates.

Another source was by the name of Michelle Pacansky-Brock.  Michelle has quite the collection of Voice Thread webinars.  One in particular was entitled, Learning out Loud: is it the Missing Link in Online Learning? discussed that using Voice Thread can help to “Increase online community and enhance the instructor-to-student relationship.”  She states that, “voice thread increases verbal skills, increases student relation, increases comprehension of the material and their is an increase in confidence while using Voice Thread.”  All of these attributes are amazing results of using technology to engage students and encourage them to interact with classmates and instructors.

One last study that I want to share regarding the support the use of Voice Thread is entitled: Web 2.0 Pedagogical Support for Reflective and Emotional Social Interaction among Swedish students, by Augustsson, G. (2010).  Three main results showed that  “the use of Web 2.0”: 1. “support students’ reflections concerning their own and others’ thoughts and emotions, 2. supports individual students and integrates them into a work group and 3. develops students’ identification and awareness in relation to self, a task and others.”  Becoming aware of oneself and our own abilities will allow us to grow,  not only academically, but according to this study, personally as well.

I, better than anyone, am aware that new technology and change is sometimes difficult to tackle.  I did find this technology to be fairly easy to manuever through.  Granted there was a slight learning curve, but the exercise that we first did on Voice Thread was the perfect way to ease into the technology and a great  way to introduce ourselves to the instructor and our classmates.  This initial exposure to Voice Thread allowed us to work through any kinks on a topic that we were all familiar with, ourselves.  Voice thread can allow for a wide variety of topics to be discussed and to explore for a wide range of ages.  The asynchronous method of Voice Thread means that this is an extremely flexible mechanism to utilize so the students are able to complete the project when time allows in their schedule.   I really enjoy the Voice Thread technology and I am excited to get the opportunity to utilize all that is has to offer.

Michelle Pacansky-Brock, http://blog.voicethread.com/webinars-all/

Augustsson, G(2010), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.05.005

Kevin Burden and Simon Atkinson, www.academia.edu/165088/Evaluating_pedagogical_affordances_of_media_sharing_Web_2.0_technologies:_a_case_Study

Assessments are a vital and invaluable way to ascertain if the students are progressing along the path needed to succeed in a program.   Assessment not only establishes a level of knowledge for the students to achieve, they also allow the instructors to understand the level of understanding that the students have obtained throughout the curriculum.  The assessments also figure into the bigger picture of board exams and  accreditation standards.   In the entry level dental hygiene program there are a wide variety of ways to access a students progress.  The first thing to get in order is a complete understanding of all of the necessary information, didactic and clinical skills that are essential to be able to complete all of the standardized exams in order to graduate and get licensed to be a practicing dental hygienist.

Planning is an essential part of assuring that students will receive all the information and be proficient enough to pass not only the clinical portion of the board exams, but the national board exam as well.  There are also other areas that need to be addressed such as the CODA accreditation standards as well as utilizing critical thinking skills that will carry them throughout their dental hygiene career.

So, to answer the question, “What is the best types of assessments for an entry level dental hygiene program?”, I would have to say that this is a complex answer, and that every assessment can be used at the appropriate time for the appropriate objective.  The best types of assessments, are individual and are on a case by case decision, and will be necessary to meet the objectives that are set up for each individual class.  These class objectives tie into the overall program objectives which help to fulfill the objectives for all of the formal exams.  All things put together culminate in a formula that will satisfy the CODA accreditation objectives.   It is an intricate balance that needs to be well orchestrated.

There are a wide variety of assessments that will help the students to meet the objectives that are established for each course, the overall program, board exams, and the accreditation standards.  The overall objective of assessments, according to the GALO book, “The what of assessment is defined by the instructional objectives and the course content.  The how is directed by the test plan, or blue print.”  Proper planning and alignment of objectives and assessments are key to helping the students be successful in school and in their careers.

I think that true-false, multiple choice and short answer are great for assessing a wide array of knowledge.  Multiple choice can be used variety of topics, but as I have quickly figured out, they are challenging to put  together, yet- easier to grade.  Clinically, there needs to be specific assessments for establishing the students’ proficiency with instruments, patient assessment and evaluation as well as the demeanor an level of professionalism that they display in the clinic setting.  I think it might be a good idea to incorporate self-assessment and peer evaluation to help the students understand things from a different perspective.

The key to deciding which assessment is used, is to make sure the assessment and the objective are in sync with each other.  There needs to be strategic planning and evaluation of curriculums and classes to assure that the assessment assigned to each objective makes sense and that the assessment is evaluating exactly what you want it to evaluate.  This is a process that takes time, commitment and above all organization and is a summative teamwork process.

After completing almost one and half semesters of an online graduate program, I have definitely realized that there are similarities and differences in the two methods of delivery.  The similarities that I see are that the information that is given to the students will be the same content regardless of the delivery method.  The students are still responsible for the same amount of work and projects throughout a semester.  The differences in online learning versus face to face learning for me is that there is sometimes a disconnect with not seeing the students on a daily basis like my undergraduate classes.  I really enjoy seeing peoples’ faces on a regular basis and having dialog back and forth.  I love the synchronous meetings and feeling like I am a part of a class.   Listening to my classmates helps me to work through questions or problems that may arise with information or assignments.  Some online classes have no visual interaction with the teachers or the students within the class.   The only time you might interact with the online instructor is when questions arise about assignments and this would take place through emails and not conversation.   Also, when assignments or information is given to the students, there is not a chance to ask questions directly to the instructor and get clarity within a short amount of time, unlike if you were attending a class in a classroom. There are definitely a differences between the instructors’ way they present information. The use of synchronous meetings makes the online class seem closer and allows for interactions with the instructor and the students as well.  Actual classes that you have to attend can be challenging for schedules and having jobs and families, but there may be tighter connections among the students.

There are many benefits to participating in an online class and or program.  For me, this hits very close to home.  Living in a different state has always made achieving my dream of receiving my Masters from Ohio State impossible, that is until last year.  The creation of the online dental hygiene master’s program allows me to fulfill a dream of earning my Master’s degree in Dental Hygiene while being able to be here for my family.  Time is a great benefit of online learning.  I can complete any project, paper or assignment when it fits in for my crazy schedule, even the extremes of late at night or very early in the morning.  I can take my assignments with me, even on vacation!  Online classes are definitely very convenient for time constraints, location and flexibility of schedules.

My main challenges that I have faced with online learning is the extreme learning curve associated with learning new methods of the technology itself.  I have learned to be less anxious about new processes and new ways to learn a variety of information.  I am enjoying the challenges of a variety of technology based projects that I would not have gotten with a traditional class/lecture setting.  I think that the other challenge is the difficulty in having a complete grasp of what the instructor actually expects from various assignments.  Sometimes the expectations are difficult to assess when communication happens over the internet.  I think not being able to get clarification and have a conversation with the instructor is a difficult challenge to adapt to.  Being able to raise your hand in class and ask a question and get a response is only available during synchronous meetings.  Instant gratification is delayed in online education especially when there is no physical interaction, via the internet, with the instructor.  Learning to manage my time and ask questions early on in the week allows for me to adapt and get responses so that I can apply the new understanding that I receive from the instructor in order to complete work on time.

I think that online teaching and learning is an amazing process that can allow people from all over the country/world to learn a variety of things in a large variety of ways.  Online teaching and learning is a great way to allow people the chance to pursue a degree from their “dream school” even when they are far way in the physical distance.  Teaching online can allow gifted teachers to share their knowledge and experiences with people who previously wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to be taught by them due to proximity of the classes.  I do realize that teaching online takes a greater deal of time in preparing the class schedule and presentation of information, but reaching a wide variety of students with an endless array of backgrounds will be the upside to the equation.  Going through a graduate program may bring the students closer due to the adversity and challenges that we will go through, despite our geographic distances.  Online teaching and learning is a great way to allow people to achieve their dream degree or their dream job!

Last night was my first on-line teaching experience.  The topic that we discussed was Health Literacy for the Dental Team.  I immediately went through all of the reading that was assigned for the class when I received the information.  I took copious notes and made a lengthy summary of the reading.  After revisions were needed I came up with a condensed summary.  I completed a short power point presentation for the actual class.  I had walked through all of the steps that I needed to be prepared for the class.  Now it was time for the class to get started.

I have to say, I have not been this nervous in a long time.  I was anxious about what I would say and how the students would respond to what I was saying.  I didn’t want to stumble through the information and I wanted to seem like I knew how to handle the situation.  I took a deep breath and logged on to get the meeting set up with Jessica.  She was warm, welcoming and so calm.  She was extremely reassuring that everything would go well and that the class was an amazing group that frequently contributed to the topics during previous classes.  Jessica’s relaxed tone and computer assistance, along with a short pep talk by Rachel, led me to believe that everything would be just fine.  I knew this wouldn’t be perfect or seamless by any means, nor should it , with this being my first on-line teaching experience I just had to go with it and trust in the process.  This, hopefully, would be the first of many of these experiences and it is a learning process that I can grow from.

As the meeting got started I kept telling myself these are my people, hygienists like myself who are striving to improve their knowledge with education.  Just relax.  I have to say after Jessica introduced me things got off to a slow start.  I was nervous and the minutes ticked by so slowly.  I kept hearing some of the things that Rachel had said to me in my head, ” Get them involved in the discussion.”  As soon as I shifted my focus from the slides to the students’ experiences and opinions things started to flow at a much better rate.  Before I knew it, the students had completed a breakout room and Jessica sent me a note saying to watch the time that it was already 9:00!  Time was flying .  I loved to listen to all of the ideas from the students and to hear the passion and excitement in their voices.  I was learning so much just from listening to the variety of experiences that they shared.

This first experience was by no means perfect.  We had some technical tissues with computers freezing on multiple occasions, but  we all laughed about it and kept right on going.  I learned to appreciate all that it takes to present material to a class.  The time, focus and ability to deliver information in a way that will engage the students and allow for them to learn in the process is challenging.  This experience will definitely make me look at lectures in a different way.  This is a process that I am excited to be a part of more in the future and I look forward to improving my delivery of the material now that I have completed my first time.  This experience was definitely not worth all of the anxiety that I put upon myself.  The students, Jessica and Rachel made me feel comfortable and welcome in their class.  This experience has reassured me that I am on the right path for my future career in dental hygiene education.

I have been in attendance for many lectures in school and continuing education seminars.  From the Biology 101 lecture where there were probably 300 plus people, to our hygiene classes where there was 32 people in attendance.  It was very difficult to be able to name the best lecture I ever attended.  I wracked my brain for quite some time to decide upon what I think was the best lecture I have attended.  As I struggled with this process I realized that the book pointed out that the success I perceived from the lecture was definitely due to  how the lecture was presented.  The lectures that stood out in my mind definitely had a lot more interaction with the audience and the person doing the lecturing added humor, stories and anecdotes which helped to highlight some of my memories of certain instructors.

The Best lecture I ever attended was a simple, panel discussion by several athletes.  This discussion took place June 8, 2013 in Lawrence, Kansas.  It was on the day before my first half ironman triathlon, and my first triathlon of any length.  Some of the key speakers were Paula Newby-Fraser (an 8 time Ironman World Champion),  Hines Ward (Super-bowl MVP), and Craig Alexander (3 time Ironman World Champion).  This discussion was amazing.   It was a discussion about the individual journeys and the common goal that the athletes  in attendance were experiencing.  The athletes shared their thoughts, experiences and challenges that brought them to that point.   It was amazing to think that these elite athletes and myself had something in common.  I soaked in every word that was uttered and I was inspired and motivated to continue the ironman journey through to the end.  The atmosphere was relaxed and very inviting.  I liked the personable feeling from these athletes and the openness that was felt by the sharing of ideas, feelings and experiences with the crowd.  Thou this was not a traditional lecture setting, I was thoroughly invested in every word that was spoken because it was so important to me and the journey that I was on.

Lectures are a necessary part of education, but they will continue to change to meet the needs of the people in attendance.  As they go more into the realm of “edutainment” to meet the needs of the students there may be more moments that create lasting memories of not only the lecture, but the material presented in the lecture itself.  Mixing up the rhythm of the lecture and trying to hold the attendees’ attention is vital to retaining the information.  It does make me think of how to approach lecturing my future students.  I liked what the chapter stated about being able to present material and have attendees relate the information to something in “life, practice or an upcoming test.”  When Information is presented that applies to you in the present or for use in future situations it takes on new meaning.

Innovative Teaching Strategies in Nursing and Related Health Professions, 5th Edition. Chapter 8. Barbara C. Woodring & Richard C. Woodring.

Hines Ward and Craig Alexander

After reading chapter 3 in the book, Innovative Teaching Strategies in Nursing and Related Health Professions,  I realized that I am now going to be thinking from a different perspective.  I have been viewing myself as the student and now I need to change that focus to viewing myself as the Instructor.   The thought of what an innovative classroom looks like to me stirs up many images, vibrant colors, displays and a variety of instructional tools would fill my classroom.    I am a person who wants to meet the needs of everyone and I know that all people learn differently, so I would want to have a full array of strategies to explain both simple and complex concepts to assure that every learning style can relate to new material presented to them.   There are several key words that come to mind when I think of innovation in the classroom such as: variety, challenging, fun, entertaining, and my favorite: stepping outside of one’s comfort zone.  Stepping outside of one’s comfort zone  may sound simple and easy to accomplish, but to some it may be like climbing a mountain.  The ability as an instructor to climb that mountain and enjoy the “view” along the way is all a part of the human growth process.  The society we live is is always changing and evolving.  It is vital as an active participant in daily live to move with changes and feel empowered to help create your own changes.

The chapter discussed innovation and the need to constantly stay on top of the latest and most up to date information.  This goes along with being a life long learner.  It is vital to strive to learn new skills and obtain new knowledge that will increase your ability to do the best job that you can.   I feel that innovation strategies need to challenge not only the students, but the instructors as well.  Instructors need to push outside their comfort zones in order to find techniques  and strategies that will meet the needs of the students they teach.  Being outside of one’s comfort zone will challenge them to learn new things and grow as an instructor and as a person.  I love the fact that innovation does not always revolve around the most high tech, newest instrument to teach with.  Innovation can be as simple as telling a story that the students can relate to and then later recall upon the information just by remembering the story.  Anecdotes, humor, art and technology are all vital tools when expressing new ideas and creating innovative strategies.  The entire process of innovation has several steps.  The sums of these steps takes a considerable amount of time, dedication and belief in the end results.  The keys to a successful strategy for innovation is to follow the steps of: assessment, Define options, Plan, Gain support for Innovation, Prepare students for innovation, prepare faculty for innovation, implement the innovation and Evaluate the outcome (42).  These steps will require the dedication from a variety of levels in the organization.  This is an amazing concept.  Even the newest and least experienced instructor can come up with a strategy for innovation, an idea or concept that can change the way we deliver information to our students.  I feel that innovation gives everyone the chance and a voice to have an opinion for change for the good of the process of education.  The process itself involves the ownership of the innovation even with the students.  The greatest ideas are not worth anything if the students don’t take ownership of the change that will be occurring.

Innovation in the classroom should be always in our minds as Instructors.  Changes continue to occur and  the strategies for innovation need to be changing as the needs arise.  We never know when and where the a new idea may arise that could become a great innovative technique or strategy.

Source: Innovative Teaching Strategies in Nursing and Related Health Professions, 5th Edition.  Edited by: Martha J. Bradshaw and Arlene J. Lowenstein

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