I recently read an article in Faculty Focus entitled a�?Helping Students Learn to be Professionala�? that I found of great interest as I began to reflect on the context in dental hygiene education. One of the National Dental Hygiene Competencies is that students graduate as professionals by displaying behaviours such as acting responsibly, following codes of conduct and standards of practice, self-assessing for self-improvement, and taking responsibility for his/her actions.
As dental hygiene educators, it is of primary importance that students leave the program having not only understood what is expected of them as professionals, but also having demonstrated these behaviours. Multiple methods have been used in our own program to achieve this end, including development of policies, procedures, specific course work, and the use of a student portfolio, as was discussed in a previous blog. Even with all of these elements that are included, there are still students that challenge you by bending the rules and working the system to get through the program. And, as the article states, you wonder if you are truly preparing them for the future when they do not understand the consequences for not meeting deadlines or not showing up on time for classes. To this end, the article describes an innovative method used by instructors to teach their courses.
Teachers set up their course as a job experience in which they act as the supervisor, the students the employees, and the course syllabus is the contract. Assessments in these courses were authentic, or tasks that employees would do in a normal situation. Other ways they made the environment reflect the work place included punitive methods for attendance, so that points were taken away for missed classes, which could reflect warnings for missed work time. These new innovations in teaching give food for thought as to how CADH can ensure its students are well prepared for the workplace.
References:
Weimer, M. (Aug 2013). Helping Students Learn to be Professional. Faculty Focus. Taken from: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/helping-students-learn-to-be-professional/.
College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario. (Jan 2010), Entry-To-Practice Competencies and Standards for Canadian Dental Hygienists. Taken from: http://www.cdho.org/otherdocuments/entrytopractice.pdf.
I recently read an article in Faculty Focus entitled a�?Helping Students Learn to be Professionala�? that I found of great interest as I began to reflect on the context in dental hygiene education. One of the National Dental Hygiene Competencies is that students graduate as professionals by displaying behaviours such as acting responsibly, following codes of conduct and standards of practice, self-assessing for self-improvement, and taking responsibility for his/her actions.
As dental hygiene educators, it is of primary importance that students leave the program having not only understood what is expected of them as professionals, but also having demonstrated these behaviours. Multiple methods have been used in our own program to achieve this end, including development of policies, procedures, specific course work, and the use of a student portfolio, as was discussed in a previous blog. Even with all of these elements that are included, there are still students that challenge you by bending the rules and working the system to get through the program. And, as the article states, you wonder if you are truly preparing them for the future when they do not understand the consequences for not meeting deadlines or not showing up on time for classes. To this end, the article describes an innovative method used by instructors to teach their courses.
Teachers set up their course as a job experience in which they act as the supervisor, the students the employees, and the course syllabus is the contract. Assessments in these courses were authentic, or tasks that employees would do in a normal situation. Other ways they made the environment reflect the work place included punitive methods for attendance, so that points were taken away for missed classes, which could reflect warnings for missed work time. These new innovations in teaching give food for thought as to how CADH can ensure its students are well prepared for the workplace.
References:
Weimer, M. (Aug 2013). Helping Students Learn to be Professional. Faculty Focus. Taken from: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/helping-students-learn-to-be-professional/.
College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario. (Jan 2010), Entry-To-Practice Competencies and Standards for Canadian Dental Hygienists. Taken from: http://www.cdho.org/otherdocuments/entrytopractice.pdf.
