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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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Dr. Wizard’s World of Dental Public Health
Dr. Wizard’s World of Dental Public Health , an ACIE project directed by Richard W. Rubin, Dental Medicine, introduces students of dental public health to Pleasant Lake, a virtual rural community of true-to-life, complex circumstances, and conditions to be identified, analyzed, and addressed as students assess oral health issues and propose health programs to meet community needs. In addition, this award will support a pilot implementation of wiki technology incorporated into Blackboard so groups of students can create and edit collaborative documents resulting from their exploration and analysis of the virtual community’s health issues and ultimately develop a responsive dental health plan for Pleasant Lake. The initial project is targeted for use this fall for students in the University’s School of Dental Hygiene and should be finalized for use in the summer of 2008 by students at the School of Dental Medicine. Rubin’s favorite Mark Twain quote, “Education that involves learning things and not the meaning of them is feeding upon the husks and not the corn,” explains his stimulating approach to instruction. Rubin’s goal is for students to recognize that “without contexts, actions have no meaning at all” and to be able to collect, analyze and synthesize contextual information necessary to initiate effective public health action. The complexity of Pleasant Lake reflects the myriad qualities—social, psychological, and environmental—that define any small, rural community. These qualities ultimately converge in the health and well-being of its population. Rubin believes his students need to recognize that “A house built on a good foundation will last” and, therefore, “a community is no better than the people who need the most.” This project will allow students to actively experience that relationship firsthand. After completing a tutorial section of the course, students will be put into groups to actively investigate Pleasant Lake to assess the priority of oral health for varied members of the population. Individual students will be assigned responsibility to address a set of expectations for their group and will collaborate on their teammates’ work using wiki technology. They will explore the demographics of the area, the dental statistics, relevant community and environmental factors, the availability and quality of existing public health facilities and programs, and conditions that might mitigate or exacerbate the community’s health issues. Ultimately, groups will deal with three major community factors: enabling access to oral health care in a rural community (including special migrant farm worker issues), managing and promoting fluoride usage for residents who live without a fluoridated community water supply, and addressing oral health concerns for special needs children who are attending a retreat at the Lake. Each group’s final project will be a culturally sensitive dental public health plan for the Pleasant Lake community. Students in the new course and a section of the traditional course will complete a questionnaire, and student contributions to the wiki documents will be assessed for outcomes. Ultimately, Rubin hopes other departments and schools will be able to adapt this pilot effort to their disciplines, and that this project’s application of wiki technology will contribute to the University’s planning for future integration of wiki technology.
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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for Instructional Development & Distance Education |
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