Simulation-based education for selected communication skills: exploring the perception of post-graduate dental students.

PURPOSE: The role of simulation-based education (SBE) in enhancing communication has been established in the literature. To ensure achieving desired outcomes from SBE initiative, the individual learners, their experiences, and environments need to be considered. This study aimed at exploring the perception of post-graduate dental students regarding their participation in SBE sessions, around selected communication skills, designed in alignment with the assumptions of adult learning theory and steps of Kolb's experiential learning cycle. METHODS: This study utilized a qualitative design. Six focus-group sessions were conducted following the SBE sessions. The generated data was inductively investigated using a multi-staged participant-focused approach to thematic analysis, based upon constructivist epistemology. NVivo was utilized to facilitate text Fragments' coding and categorization. RESULTS: Forty-three post-graduate dental students participated. The analysis resulted in 16 categories spread across five sequential phases of the SBE experience. The "input" theme referred to the resources needed for the SBE process, and included three categories: facilities, personnel, and teaching materials. The second theme included steps of SBE "process": pre-brief, simulation, and debrief. The third, fourth, and fifth themes constituted the short- and longer-term results of the SBE intervention. The participants reported instant benefits on confidence in their expertise in communicating with patients and their guardians. Additionally, perceived effects on the empathy and professionalism were reported. CONCLUSION: SBE, that is based upon adult and experiential learning theories, and developed after thorough consideration of the individual learners, and their experiences and learning environments, holds potential in enhancing communication skills among post-graduate dental students.

Exploring the value of the learners' perception of teaching effectiveness in informing faculty development needs: A mixed-methods study.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The evaluation of a faculty development intervention needs to start at the outset, and not as an afterthought. Moreover, it is important to evaluate the degree to which the predefined impact is attained as a result to the learning and development opportunity. This calls for the engagement of the ultimate receivers: the students, who are well-positioned to identify gaps in the teaching performance of their own instructors. Accordingly, this mixed-methods study aims at shedding light on a Continuous Quality Improvement system where feedback from undergraduate and postgraduate students is assembled to pinpoint faculty development needs, based on which professional development opportunities are devised. Data was extracted from an annual survey that evaluates the students' satisfaction. Qualitative data was thematically analysed, and quantitative data was analysed using SPSS. The qualitative analysis resulted in six categories of recommendations, that were fit into two themes: dynamic between the instructors and students, and organization and delivery of the program. As for the quantitative analysis, the students indicated opportunities for improvement in the following two areas: student academic advising process (55.17%), and communication between instructors and students (50.59%). The study concluded that there is added value in capturing and effectively assembling the learners' perception of faculty performance. It raises the reliability of the implemented evaluation framework, and has the potential of improving the rigor of faculty development initiatives.