Assessment of case-based integrated learning as a part of dental curriculum reform.

摘要

There has been a growing call for change in the management of dental education programs, and, in response to this call, the faculty and staff at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry developed the Pacific Dental Helix Curriculum management model. The first major component of this curriculum was the development of the Integrated Clinical Science Strand of the Helix focused on multidisciplinary and case-based andragogies.;The mixed method research design was used to identify common aspects of Case-Based Learning and multi-disciplinary teaching through a qualitative analysis of curricular materials and to analyze their impact on selected student outcomes of pre and post-change through statistical analysis. The outcomes chosen for the quantitative portion were surrogate measures of National Board Scores and grade point averages to represent knowledge and skills. The overall analysis of the quantitative data shows negligible impact on the outcomes being measured.;We know from the literature that active learning models motivate and engage students at a higher level in their learning and better prepare them to solve problems creatively versus a traditional educational model, so it is significant to see that there were no decreases in performance with a move to a more engaging curriculum. This study offers foundational information for future curriculum design, pedagogy, and assessment.