Study of the Practical Application of Problem-Based Learning to a Major Class of Dental Hygienics: Focused on the Clinical Dental Hygienics Subject

Abstract

Purpose To i) use outcomes of professional development on PBL for curriculum renewal that leads to more active student learning ii) use academic and clinical peers to develop a learning package that integrates education and practice of Clinical Dental Hygienics and iii) present and evaluate the authentic cases used as stimulus material that is learner-centered. Methods Professors of Dental Hygienics used professional development sessions to inform curriculum renewal and development of the stimulus material. Others with recent clinical experience used their expertise to assist with the development of learning packages. The PBL package was applied to two junior classes of Dental Hygienics and evaluated for perceptions of student satisfaction. Results The journey through PBL Package development and implementation, using peer support through Professional Development, is reported on. Responses to statements from a survey on learning experience indicated there was a high level of student satisfaction with learning; after the application of PBL (91.4%) responded positively to the statement, “I actively attended this class”. Conclusions It is necessary to develop more packages that reflect the field of Dental Hygienics and extend the use of PBL to verify its effect. Additional evaluation of the use PBL packages needs to focus on learning outcomes that demonstrate links to actual practice and students’ problem-solving, self-directed learning, and team-work abilities that can be cultivated through PBL methods.

Keywords

• professional development
• problem-based learning
• clinical dental hygienics
• learning outcomes