Study of the Practical Application of Problem-Based Learning to a Major Class of Dental Hygienics: Focused on the Clinical Dental Hygienics Subject

Abstract

Recently, demands for a new image of man within society also led to calls for change in approaches to education (Hangyo, 2006). Increases in available information and access to knowledge are evident in our society. While schools are often the primary sources of information, it has become more and more impossible to apply and utilize that information in actual life (Hwang, 2002). In modern times, it is meaningless to make knowledge acquisition and simple memorization of details as the main objectives of education. The central ability in future society should be to utilize the acquired knowledge effectively. Creation of new knowledge will arise from enquiry processes and, education should aim to develop this ability (Yoon, 2009). The purpose of contemporary education is to encourage self-directed learners with prob-Purpose: To i) use outcomes of professional development on PBL for curriculum renewal that leads to more active student learning ii) use academic and clinical peers to develop a learning package that integrates education and practice of Clinical Dental Hygienics and iii) present and evaluate the authentic cases used as stimulus material that is learner-centered. Methods: Professors of Dental Hygienics used professional development sessions to inform curriculum renewal and development of the stimulus material. Others with recent clinical experience used their expertise to assist with the development of learning packages. The PBL package was applied to two junior classes of Dental Hygienics and evaluated for perceptions of student satisfaction. Results: The journey through PBL Package development and implementation, using peer support through Professional Development, is reported on. Responses to statements from a survey on learning experience indicated there was a high level of student satisfaction with learning; after the application of PBL (91.4%) responded positively to the statement, "I actively attended this class". Conclusions: It is necessary to develop more packages that reflect the field of Dental Hygienics and extend the use of PBL to verify its effect. Additional evaluation of the use PBL packages needs to focus on learning outcomes that demonstrate links to actual practice and students' problem-solving, self-directed learning, and teamwork abilities that can be cultivated through PBL methods.

Critical Thinking and Metacognition: Processes and Outcomes within the Learning Cycles

“…Articles submitted to this journal report that policy developers across the world have set directions for educational change in pursuit of graduate outcomes that better prepare professionals for the future (Park et al, 2020;Zumbach et al, 2020;Byun, 2020;. Byun (2020) cited the World Economic Forum (WEF) proceedings where in 2017 it was suggested that ten skills were required to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Creativity, People Management, Coordinating with Others, Emotional Intelligence, Judgment and Decision Making, Service Orientation, Negotiation, and Cognitive Flexibility.…”