Dentistry Projects
Trans-cultural Communication Training
This project involves surveys of dental students in U21 universities to ascertain their cultural backgrounds, attitudes towards intercultural issues in dental care, and perceived intercultural communication skills. A demographic examination of international students over a five-year period will also be undertaken. Utilising this data, a structured curriculum component in intercultural communication and the effective delivery of care for patients from culturally diverse backgrounds will be developed and trialed, as a precursor to proposing international guidelines for promoting intercultural dental education.
To date, a literature review has been completed, data collection methods identified and a survey questionnaire developed, the ethics application completed, and student clinic sites approached. The survey questionnaire has been piloted and data collection is being undertaken.
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Learning Objects and Digital Learning Objects Catalogue
Learning objects for Dentistry, in particular those already fully commercialised, will be recorded on the University of Melbourne 's Digital Learning Objects Catalogue (DLOCat), as well as on the EEL system at the University of British Columbia , as EEL contains dental categories and specialist sub-categories.
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Benchmarking Project
A Benchmarking project involving data collection from U21 Dental Faculties/Schools commenced in 2004. During the first phase of the project, a survey was carried out to compile information on a range of matters including staff/student ratios across the institutions. Data has been received from seven of the eight U21 dental schools.
Following discussion at the 2004 meeting in Brisbane , it was agreed that the benchmarking tool would be refined to focus the tool on the core (under)graduate dental training programme, enabling clearer dissection of the differences between the U21 dental schools. Following an overview of the data, it was agreed to clarify the operating environment of each school in terms of its relationship to the local health service / government health authority.
The benchmarking process will be extended to include core infection control practices, as a means of consolidating the evidence base for national guidelines on infection control, and to align practices in schools with situations in clinical practice, so that students are sufficiently prepared for infection control issues after graduation. In addition, further work will take place in relation to categories of information to reflect RAE/RQF activities and publication bands.
Benchmarking will be an ongoing activity.
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Problem based learning
In light of the constant need to review and update materials within problem-based learning curricula, this project will explore the options for sharing PBL materials amongst U21 dental schools.
The experience in the Australian and New Zealand region and the ANZDENTAL collaboration is a possible model and Mike Morgan (The University of Melbourne) will adapt a survey developed for the ANZDENTAL group, to establish the usage rates of PBL within the different U21 dental schools, and associated issues.
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