Ava K. Chow

Metaverse technologies can revolutionize students’ learning experiences by offering an immersive and interactive environment. This study explored the perceptions and readiness of dental hygiene students and faculty to adopt metaverse technologies for teaching and learning. A descriptive study was conducted to explore dental hygiene student and faculty behavioural intention and willingness to accept the incorporation of metaverse into teaching and learning. Twenty-five students and 15 faculty from the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry at the University of Alberta, Canada, responded to an anonymous online survey; students showed higher acceptance of metaverse technologies than faculty members. The application of metaverse is not yet widespread in education. Concerns about cost and technical proficiency may have contributed to hesitation among faculty participants, resulting in a disconnect between faculty and student willingness to accept this technology. Though only 1 institution was polled, this study identified gaps in student and faculty perceptions, which can be helpful for other institutions in the planning and implementation of metaverse technologies.

Background: Games are well recognized for enhancing student engagement, yet most reported game‐based interventions in higher education remain limited to single, one‐time activities. Comprehensive integration of gaming concepts across an entire course is still uncommon, particularly in health professional education. Approach: In this context, a game‐based strategy was embedded into an entire dental hygiene (DH) course using a gated pathway and rewards. In a real game, a gated pathway requires players to complete specific tasks before unlocking the next level. In the learning management system (LMS), the same game‐based concept was applied by restricting students' access to weekly content until they completed reviewing lecture materials and passed a quiz. Successful completion of the quiz unlocked the next week's materials. Quiz games designed in Gimkit were integrated as rewards for students. Evaluation: Student engagement data were collected from the LMS, and exam performance was compared with the previous cohort, where no gated pathway was used. Voluntary, anonymous surveys captured students' perceptions. Eighty‐eight percent of the survey respondents agreed that the gated pathway helped them complete their tasks on time, and 87% found this intervention helpful for their studies. Implications: This study demonstrates the successful integration of game‐based concepts across a full DH course, with positive effects on engagement and performance. Clinical educators can adapt this approach to offer students a better learning experience in a game‐like course.

Background: The advantages of animated videos in education are widely recognised, yet their use by educators is restricted by the technical skills and resources needed for their production. Approach: We have used the built‐in animation and voice‐over narration features of Microsoft PowerPoint to create full‐fledged animated videos for students in the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program. H5P was used to add interactive self‐assessment questions to the videos. Three interactive animated videos on oral epithelium and biofilms were posted in the learning management system (LMS) for the first and second year DDS students. Evaluation: A descriptive study was conducted to demonstrate student interactions and perceptions of interactive animated videos. First and second‐year DDS students were automatically enrolled in the study. Student engagement data, in the form of the number of interactions with the interactive animated videos, were collected from the LMS. They were also invited to participate in a voluntary survey. Although the interactive animated videos were posted as supplementary learning content, most students accessed the videos. Ninety‐four percent of the survey respondents indicated that the videos helped clarify concepts and made learning enjoyable. They also positively valued the interactive self‐assessment questions incorporated into the videos. Implications: PowerPoint can be a simple yet effective way to create animated videos. Although this study has a small number of participants, the findings highlight the potential of interactive animated videos as an effective teaching tool to enhance student engagement and learning experiences.

Background: Recent advancements in precision medicine and precision dentistry have necessitated genomic literacy in healthcare professionals. Both the knowledge of genetics and data in primary biological databases are rapidly expanding beyond what is presented in textbooks. Dental students are often unfamiliar with the growing field of biological data and the tools used to analyse and interpret genetic information. Approach: To improve genomic literacy among dental students, we incorporated ‘Bioinformatics for Dentistry’, a dental‐specific secondary database, as a teaching tool in the first year of the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program. This study aims to explore students' perspectives on using a secondary database as a tool for teaching and learning. Evaluation: A convergent, parallel mixed‐method study was conducted to explore student perception of the database as a teaching tool. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from students' reflection assignments and surveys. Descriptive statistics and manifest content analysis were applied to analyse the survey data and reflection assignments, respectively. All (100%) students ( n = 32) completed the assignment with reflective answers; 38% ( n = 12) of the class completed the voluntary survey. Survey participants indicated that ‘Bioinformatics for Dentistry’ was easy to navigate and helpful for learning the genetics of tooth development. Codes from qualitative data were grouped into three categories, representing the benefit of the secondary database attributed by the students. Implications: Dental students positively valued the use of ‘Bioinformatics for Dentistry’ to learn the genetics of tooth development. This secondary database can improve genomic literacy to meet the challenge of the postgenomic era.

Integrating the basic sciences into a clinical curriculum is critical for students' understanding of physiological processes in patient care. Health professional students with a better understanding of basic science principles have better diagnostic accuracy and a more comprehensive understanding of clinical cases. Traditional health professional curricula offer discrete basic science and clinical courses, resulting in students who struggle to recognize the relevance of the material and incorporate fundamental science knowledge into their later clinical education. This study examined student perceptions of integrating foundational sciences into their health professional program and evaluated the extent of that integration with clinical oral medicine and pathology knowledge using a knowledge integration scale. Students in the second to fourth years of the Dental Hygiene Program at the University of Alberta, Canada, were invited to participate in an anonymous survey regarding their perceptions of the integration of sciences in teaching. In a separate invitation, third- and fourth-year dental hygiene students were invited to complete a graded measure of knowledge integration. Significant differences were found between year cohorts in the perceptions of integrating basic sciences into the clinical curriculum. Content analysis of descriptive student comments revealed the benefits of integrating clinical and foundational science knowledge. There were no significant differences between third- and fourth-year dental hygiene students in measured integration of foundational science and clinical knowledge. Further studies are needed to shed light on faculty perceptions and identify strategies to facilitate curricular integrations at the faculty level.

Kahoot! is an online quiz game that has become popular in education, including health professional education. Despite the known benefits of Kahoot!, application of this game in dental hygiene education is rare. Kahoot! was incorporated into a dental hygiene course at the University of Alberta, Canada. A pilot study was conducted to describe students’ experiences with and perspectives on Kahoot! gaming. Nineteen percent (19%) of the students in the course participated in a voluntary, anonymous survey. The results indicated positive impacts of Kahoot! on student components of motivation: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the survey respondents reported in-class competition in Kahoot! as a source of motivation; 24% found the live leaderboard stressful. Despite some stressful experiences reported by students, this study suggests that Kahoot! is an excellent tool for promoting student engagement. Further studies are needed in this area to explore the impact of Kahoot! on the academic performance and learning outcomes of dental hygiene students.

Objectives: A growing number of health professional institutions around the world are embracing innovative technologies to increase student engagement, primarily to improve clinical and simulated learning experiences. Didactic learning is an essential component of dental and medical curricula. However, limited research is available regarding the implementation of technology-infused teaching in classroom settings. We developed self-paced interactive learning content using the HTML5 Package (H5P) to promote student engagement in a didactic course within a dental hygiene program. Methods: A total of 52 interactive artifacts were created and administered to students as supplementary learning material. A descriptive study was conducted to explore student perceptions and engagement with the H5P content, as well as to evaluate the impact of these artifacts on academic performance. Results: Students performed significantly better on exam questions associated with interactive H5P content posted in the learning management system compared to other questions. Most students were highly engaged with the H5P content during the week leading up to each summative assessment. However, two of the three students with the highest course grades demonstrated consistent engagement with this content throughout the course. Conclusions: Our results highlight the effectiveness of interactive content created using the H5P platform in fostering student engagement. The development of self-paced interactive materials may benefit various aspects of didactic teaching, including both synchronous and asynchronous online learning.

The teaching philosophy statement in Canadian academia is integral to applying for faculty positions, promotions, awards, and grants. However, the notion of philosophy is quite unfamiliar to many science students and educators, which is one main audience for this Note from the Field. Moreover, teaching is no longer limited to a traditional didactic model. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many new technology-infused, online, and hybrid teaching models became popular. Years-old philosophies no longer fit with many of the latest innovative teaching approaches. We suggest considering some creative but equally effective alternatives for formal teaching philosophy statements. A reflective essay or short video introduction are two such possibilities which can be equally effective in evaluating one’s teaching practices and goals.

Purpose Escape rooms are a gamification tool that are increasingly implemented in educational contexts. The aim of this scoping review was to examine the breadth and depth of how educational escape rooms are being used in health professions education, what educational goals are being achieved, and how these objectives are being assessed.Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, a search of six databases using the key terms "escape room" and "health professional" was conducted. The resulting publications were selected based on pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data was extracted for remaining articles.Results Seventeen studies were included in the scoping review. The results show that educational escape rooms are primarily used to reinforce and integrate knowledge with soft skills, clinical skills and didactic knowledge being the primary competencies being investigated. Researchers primarily examined participant experiences with escape rooms.Conclusion Escape rooms were generally well received by participants and positively impacted motivation and engagement. Educators can greatly benefit from combining escape rooms with traditional teaching methods to improve the learning experiences of health professional trainees.