Revitalization of a Dental Physiology Course Using Active and Online Learning

Abstract

In the Health Sciences, many programs are undergoing significant revisions to improve student learning. Over the past 5 years, A Dental Physiology course at the University of Louisville has been revitalized to include modern active and online learning strategies. A new learning modality was added each year, and the effectiveness of these strategies was assessed via the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.Year 1: In engaging lectures, also referred to as broken or interactive lectures, students are given short periods of lecture, followed by “breaks” that can consist of minute papers, problem sets, brainstorming sessions, or open discussion. Over 125 active learning modules were developed and the use of engaging lectures led to higher averages on unit exams compared to traditional didactic lectures (8.6% higher, p<.05, n=120). Furthermore, students demonstrated an improved long‐term retention of information via higher scores on the comprehensive final exam (22.9% higher, p<.05).Year 2: Online modules were produced in order to help students review basic physiological concepts prior to lecture. Students exhibited a significant increase in post‐test scores with the use of online review modules (46% increase, p<.0001). Eight videos have been developed with over 1.5 hours of instructional information.Year 3: A YouTube channel was created to provide students with solutions for difficult physiology problems. Using a SmartBoard, problem solutions were recorded in order to help students determine how to appropriately approach problems in a systematic fashion. The channel contains more than 30 videos, with over 400,000 views.Year 4: Team‐based Learning (TBL) modules were implemented into the course. In TBLs, students take a quiz individually and then retake the quiz in small groups, given time to discuss each of the questions. Following this discussion, students then complete another individual quiz over similar content. TBLs improved student scores on the post‐test quizzes (10% increase, p<.05). Five TBLs are now utilized in the course.Year 5: A series of Clinical Scenario videos were created, which showcase the physiological basis of medical emergencies in the dental office. The videos resulted in a significant increase in exam performance on clinical application questions (6.2% increase, p<.05).While each of these pedagogies has been shown to be individually effective, the creation of an extensive teaching toolbox has resulted in significant gains for the course as a whole. The teaching evaluations have been extremely positive and the faculty have received several awards during this time. The results of these studies demonstrate that methodical implementation of modern teaching methods can revitalize existing courses in the Health Sciences and improve student perceptions and comprehension.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.