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Educational Necessities to Compensate for Faculty Shortage
Author(s) -
HajAli Reem,
Walker Mary P.,
Petrie Cynthia S.,
Steven Jasmin
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of dental education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1930-7837
pISSN - 0022-0337
DOI - 10.1002/j.0022-0337.2007.71.4.tb04303.x
Subject(s) - economic shortage , medical education , significant difference , psychology , dental education , mathematics education , medicine , linguistics , philosophy , government (linguistics)
The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate whether senior dental students (4DS) could serve as effective instructors in a two‐semester preclinical laboratory course and whether such teaching experience could enhance their interest in academics as a future career. Based on academic performance, five senior students were recruited to serve as instructors in a two‐semester morphology/occlusion laboratory course in which ninety‐five first‐year dental students were enrolled. The first‐year students were randomly assigned so that each student was instructed by a faculty member in one semester and a 4DS in the other semester. Outcomes included course evaluation forms completed by the first‐year dental students at the end of each semester; a comparison of students’ performances in each course determined by faculty instructors and 4DSs; and the 4DSs’ self‐report of their teaching experiences. Results showed no significant difference between the performance of 4DS and faculty instructors in all criteria evaluated (p>.05). Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the performance of students instructed by faculty members and those instructed by 4DS in either semester (p>.05). Despite the fact that such experience seemed to have minimal influence on students’ decision to consider academics as a future career, 4DSs do seem to provide effective instruction and thereby can serve to compensate for faculty shortages.