Facilitating SoTL Engagement in Dentistry
Donald Cameron & Robert McKerlie
Introduction
• Background and context - Donald Cameron
• Project proposal – Robert McKerlie
Dental Education Research Group
INTRODUCTION
• Educational Research
– Staffing & Staff Development
– University of Glasgow LTDF & Chancellor’s Fund
– NHS National Education Scotland
• Current projects
– Scholarship
– E-Learning research
• Strategy for the group
Dental School Research Activity
Dental Education Research Group
Formed in December 2008
Twelve committee members
2 University Teachers
4 Senior Clinical University Teachers
2 Senior Clinical Lecturers
Senior Lecturer
Lecturer
E-Learning Scientific Development Officer
Clerk
To promote scholarship, in all its forms, and to expand the evidence
base for teaching, learning and assessment in Dentistry.
Why a Dental Education Research Group?
• Developing, managing and ensuring educational quality
(McKimm 2003. BMJ 326,
870-873)
• Identified as a key theme for dental and oral health
research in Scotland
• Academic and NHS stakeholders
• NHS Education for Scotland (NES)
– Investment
– Expertise
NHS Education for Scotland
Dental Directorate
• Postgraduate education and training
• Undergraduate education
– Additional Cost of Teaching ACT (D)
• Two innovative national programmes funded by NES
– Confederated Learning Environment Online (CLEO)
– Work Programme for 2D and 3D Digital Visualisation
Past to Present
•
Continuation of the established research
– Database of educational research (2000 onward)
• 2000-09 (9 LTDF grants and 2 Chancellor's fund grants)
– Curriculum development (reflective practice)
•
Learning and Teaching Development funded projects
– Two current projects from LTDF 2009-10
• ‘An investigation of the utility of a form of syndicate learning within
a pre-clinical course of the undergraduate dental curriculum’.
Robert McKerlie, Donald Cameron, Andrea Sheriff & Catherine
Bovill.
• ‘Peer Assisted Learning – an innovative approach for developing
clinical and manual skills within Dentistry’. Donald Cameron,
Andrew Crothers, Andrea Sherriff, Vivian Binnie.
Future
• Confederated Learning
Environment Online (CLEO)
L
E
O
C
2D and 3D Digital Visualisation
Collaborative Learning Environment online (CLEO)
A fully collaborative venture between
all Scottish dental schools/ institutes
The delivered resources are to be
freely available to use by all
institutions so must be relevant and
useful to all.
This will be made accessible via the
Scotland-wide (CLEO) project
repository for sharing by all of those
involved in delivering dental
education across Scotland.
Glasgow
Dundee
Microbiology, Histology, Dental Anatomy
Physiology, Embryology and Developmental
Biology, Pharmacology
Aberdeen Pathology, Geriatric Dentistry, virtual patient
development
Edinburgh Post Graduate clinical procedures, dental
materials
Glasgow School of Art Digital Design Studio
The Digital Design Studio (DDS)
at the Glasgow School of Art (GSA)
In the RAE 2008, GSA, returning 84% of
research active staff, emerged as
the most significant research centre in Art
& Design with the exception of the London
Institute.
The DDS specialises in advanced 3D
visualisation and interaction technologies.
These technologies consist of haptics,
3D sound, advanced interfaces, tracking
devices, gesture based interaction, 3D
displays, machine vision and speech
recognition.
Digital Design Studio
• In 2006, the DDS conducted a Feasibility
Study funded by the SFC to establish a
network of academics, clinicians,
practitioners and scientists.
• Scottish Medical Visualisation Network
(SMVN), led by the DDS, brought together
22 medical disciplines from 44 organisations
across Scotland.
Work Packages
Work Package A
• Three Dimensional Anatomical Model
Work Package B
• Patient Safety
Work Package C
• Health Inequalities
Work Package D
• Common Disease Processes
3D Anatomical Data of the Head and Neck Region
• Suitable embalmed male Caucasian cadaver
(salt embalmed cadaver)
• Dissection and image capture of head and neck soft tissue
• Scanning and photography performed to allow accurate
reconstruction of dental related anatomy
Skin and subcutaneous tissue
–
–
–
Superficial muscles, nerves, glands and blood vessels
Superficial muscles of mastication, including masseter and temporalis
Deeper dissection musculature including genioglossus, geniohyoid, mylohyoid,
lateral and medial pterygoids, digastric and buccinators.
Future
• Develop links/collaboration with stakeholders
– Universities
• (Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Glasgow School of Art)
– NES
• Scottish Oral Health Research Strategy Group
The Project
The Quality Enhancement Theme
“To promote scholarship, in all its forms, and to
expand the evidence base for teaching,
learning and assessment in Dentistry.”
 Improving the learning experience
 Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

The Proposed Development
The aim of this proposal is to offer professional
development opportunities to a group of
academic staff at the dental school by
supporting their engagement with SoTL.
This group will be taken through a structured
process that will enable them to initiate,
implement and disseminate a SoTL project
The Format
• Open to all academics
• Meeting monthly
– Five workshops (getting started, adequate preparation,
appropriate methods & significant results, dissemination,
reflection) facilitated by the beSoTLed team.
– Seven project focused discussion sessions
– Development space within Moodle
• Period of 12 months
• Dissemination event
– Local event open to all staff
– Opportunity to disseminate details of SoTL projects, making
them public.
• Publication of SoTL Project Case study
– Peer-reviewed short case-study of project (not a barrier to
future journal publication.
Discussion Points
1.
2.
3.
Do you see merit in looking at SOTL within a single
subject/discipline area?
How do we encourage engagement in SoTL?
How do we maintain it?