A Structured Approach to Online Learning Design in Dental Education

Abstract

The transition to online learning is an accepted and anticipated change across all higher education institutions. These changes have become even more relevant to healthcare education given the challenges posed by COVID19. This paper describes the application of the Cambridge Education Group Pedagogic Framework (2018) to online dental education, specifically the conversion of a face-to-face 'Transition to Clinical Practice' module in paediatric dentistry. The framework has a foundation in medical education and holds great value for clinical academics across all healthcare disciplines in the design and implementation of online teaching. This affords educators much needed structure and assistance in meeting the needs of our students in this era of online learning. The advantages and disadvantages are explored, illustrated by student feedback, following a pilot implementation at a Dental School in the United Kingdom.

Keywords

• Online learning design tool
• e-learning
• healthcare education
• dental education
• transition to clinical practice
• evidence-based teaching