Recommendations for improving the assessment of postgraduate dental education

An overview of current evaluation methods of postgraduate dental specialty residents

PURPOSE

A lack of contemporary dental literature exists on evaluating dental residents in postgraduate education, with no standardized criteria or information on technology adoption. This study aims to understand current evaluation methods in dental residency programs and compare them to existing literature.

METHODS

A survey with 22 questions was sent to program directors of 749 ADA/CODA (American Dental Association/Commission on Dental Accreditation)-accredited postgraduate dental residencies. The questions focused on evaluation frequency, faculty involvement, submission methods, and electronic software usage.

RESULTS

The survey response rate was 30.2% (226 responses). Results show that 98% of program directors are involved in evaluations, but require more support from auxiliary faculty. Evaluations are typically submitted twice or four times a year, with 12% of programs wanting increased frequency. Face-to-face delivery of feedback is considered crucial. While desktop computers are widely used for evaluation submission, 55% of programs utilize mobile devices, which correlates with higher program director satisfaction. The most popular evaluation software includes New Innovations, MEd Hub, and Qualtrics. Overall, 86.96% of program directors are satisfied with current evaluation practices. Areas needing improvement are non-program director faculty involvement, resident response/feedback, and software navigation.

CONCLUSION

This study found that a majority of program directors of the postgraduate dental education system are using electronic technology for their resident evaluation systems and are satisfied with their current mechanism of evaluation.

Need for Assessment of MDS Paper I Examination at the End of the First Year of MDS: A Survey

Introduction:

Pursuant to the notification published by Dental Council of India, dated May 17, 2018, no. DE-14-MDS-2018/2131, the committee amended the regulation on postgraduate (PG) Masters of Dental Surgery (MDS) students and made provision of giving MDS paper I at the end of the first year. Assessment of this survey will provide clear information between the responses of PG students and teachers. The focus of this article is to report and discuss the characteristics of new learning process.

Material Method:

A total of 150 sample sizes and 50 PG teachers were included. Questions were generated using Google Form to gain access and establish rapport with participants and to obtain open, honest understanding of the participants’ “learning experience.” The link was sent to the participants, using emails or WhatsApp number.

Result:

The analysis of survey data was carried out using Likert scale. The comparison of mean scores was carried out using unpaired t-test. Figures 1 to 10 provide responses of participants.

Conclusion:

Postgraduate students and PG guides are neutral toward the initial protocol of examination. The participants have a positive attitude toward new framework. But curriculum activities such as library dissertation (LD), dissertation selection, and patient work get disturbed somewhere. It might take time for both students and guides to get familiar with the new framework.

Assessment in dental vocational training: where are we now?

In this paper the author gives his opinion on the existing arrangements for assessment of vocational dental practitioners (VDPs) (outside Scotland), during dental vocational training. He critically evaluates the arrangements in relation to the aims and objectives for dental vocational training. Potential improvements to the existing system are then proposed and new assessment techniques suggested that may help to provide a more robust and relevant educational assessment strategy for dental vocational training in the future.

An investigation of the acceptability of undergraduate supervision by Senior House Officers and General Professional Trainees

AIM

This study assessed whether Senior House Officers (SHO)/General Professional Trainees (GPT) are, or would be, comfortable supervising clinical undergraduates, whether they find this to be a valuable experience within their training programme, and whether undergraduates are or would be comfortable with SHO/GPTs supervising them.

METHOD

Questionnaires were distributed to fourth and final year students at Glasgow and Dundee Dental Schools and fourth year students at Newcastle Dental School. Questionnaires were also distributed to SHO/GPTs at Glasgow Dental Hospital and School and Edinburgh Dental Institute.

RESULTS

Seventy-nine per cent of respondent SHO/GPTs were currently not involved in the supervision of undergraduates within their present rotation, 65% of whom stated that they would value the experience of this within their training. Of those involved in supervision, 83% found the experience valuable. Forty-four per cent of students were unsure or not comfortable with SHO/GPTs supervising within an oral surgery department and approximately the same in other departments. Twenty-eight per cent of respondents felt that university lecturers should be the main trainer.

CONCLUSION

SHO/GPTs value supervising undergraduates as part of their training experience. More than half of students are comfortable with SHO/GPTs supervising them. Both groups suggest that SHO/GPTs should receive some form of training in teaching prior to supervising undergraduates.

Development and evaluation of a questionnaire to evaluate clinical dental teachers (ECDT)

OBJECTIVES

To develop and test the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of a questionnaire to evaluate clinical dental teachers.

METHODS

An item (question) pool was generated with the use of a literature review, feedback from faculty staff, and from focus group discussions with dental students. Following factor analysis the validity and reliability of a revised questionnaire was assessed. This involved 148 dental students and 453 assessments of 29 clinical dental teachers.

RESULTS

Effective clinical dental teaching (ECDT) scores were associated with 'global ratings' of the effectiveness of clinical dental teaching (P<0.01), indicating strong criterion validity. In comparison analysis there was strong agreement between students regarding ratings of individual clinical dental teachers, indicating good construct validity. Reliability was assessed by examining internal consistency of sub-scales and overall ECDT scale, and found to be good (Cronbach alpha's > 0.80).

CONCLUSION

A valid and reliable measure to evaluate clinical dental teachers has been developed for use in a clinical academia setting, and has potential use as a quality assurance measure.

Satisfactory completion of dental vocational training in Scotland: a system of assessment

Formal assessment of dental vocational training (DVT) has been an issue since 1993 when DVT became mandatory for graduates wishing to practice within the NHS. There have been a number of other drivers for change, including concerns about the capabilities of new graduates, a lack of standardisation of the training experience and accountability for standards of training. All of these factors contributed to the decision, by the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education (now part of NHS Education for Scotland--NES), to support a programme of research into the development of a competency-based system of assessment for DVT. During the life of this project the argument for introducing assessment of DVT and General Professional Training (GPT) has become ever stronger.