McCahan Day Showcases Educational Innovation and Scholarship at BUMC
Faculty, staff, and students of Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BUGSDM), the School of Medicine (BUSM), and the School of Public Health gathered in Hiebert Lounge and throughout the medical campus June 18 for the third annual John McCahan Education Day. The event showcased educational innovation and scholarship on the Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) while honoring former BUSM Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. John McCahan.
Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Cataldo Leone was one of the first presenters as part of the Panel of BUMC Academic Deans: Curricular Innovations in 2008-09.
"The dental curriculum is very full," said Dr. Leone. "We are good at adding to the curriculum, but not good at extracting. Our goal is to strengthen the relevancy, efficiency, and consistency of the curriculum as we redefine what it is to be a dental school."
Associate Dean for Institutional Planning and Evaluation Dr. Deborah Fournier presented a workshop along with Dr. Sharon Levine and Dr. Robert Schadt titled, Building an Academic Portfolio to Support Annual Faculty Evaluation and Promotion. This workshop discussed the appropriate use of course evaluation reports and peer evaluation summaries, as well as ways to define faculty work.
Posters were presented during the lunch break in Hiebert Lounge, with four groups representing BUGSDM. Department of General Dentistry Clinical Instructor Dr. Anuradha Deshmukh, Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Frederick Hains, Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Negar Nasseripour, Clinical Associate Professor Dr. George Keleher, and Professor and Chair Dr. Judith Jones presented a poster titled, Evaluation of the Spider Chart and Cariogram as Educational Tools for Teaching Dental Students Caries Risk Assessment. The results of the research presented indicated that the BU spider chart was a useful educational tool and as easy to use as the cariogram. The incorporation of this method will add valuable insight into patient’s risk for disease.
BUSM Professor of Physiology and Biophysics Dr. William J. Lehman, Dr. Leone, and Dean ad interim Dr. Jeffrey Hutter, presented a poster titled, Integration of Case-Based Problem Sessions into the Teaching of Physiology to First Year Dental Students. As part of BUGSDM’s efforts to develop the critical thinking skills of first-year DMD students, the Department of Physiology & Biophysics introduced an evidence-based learning component to their Dental Physiology Course. This component divided students into groups that were assigned one or two medical or dental case histories for presentation to the larger class. As a result students gave well-prepared presentations, received higher course exam scores, and got more enjoyment out of the course.
Office of Educational Research and Evaluation Program Coordinator Linda Sudlesky and Research Analyst Kristina Franke presented a poster on the Use of Data-Driven Course Evaluations at GSDM. The poster summarized the sources and uses of data-driven course evaluations as well as the measures of teaching effectiveness used in academic portfolios.
General Dentistry Professor Dr. Celeste Kong and Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Alexander Bendayan presented, Use of Podcasting to Improve Student Performance, which focused on whether or not podcasting increased student understanding of the material presented in class as well as improved class participation due to decreased note taking during lectures. The outcome was that podcasts are helpful, but enough time should be provided for the students to study the material, review notes, and listen to recordings. This abstract was selected as the Best Faculty Abstract and Dr. Bendayan presented his findings to McCahan Day participants in an oral presentation following lunch.