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Anders Nattestad

Publications and source records attributed to Anders Nattestad.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

The interactive examination: assessing students' self-assessment ability.

BACKGROUND: The ability to self-assess one's competence is a crucial skill for all health professionals. The interactive examination is an assessment model aiming to evaluate not only students' clinical skills and competence, but also their ability to self-assess their proficiency. METHODS: The methodology utilised students' own self-assessment, an answer to a written essay question and a group discussion. Students' self-assessment was matched to the judgement of their instructors. As a final task, students compared their own essay to one written by an "expert". The differences pointed by students in their comparison documents and the accompanying arguments were analysed and categorised. Students received individual feedback on their performance and learning needs. The model was tested on 1 cohort of undergraduate dental students (year 2001, n = 52) in their third semester of studies, replacing an older form of examination in the discipline of clinical periodontology. RESULTS: Students' acceptance of the methodology was very positive. Students tended to overestimate their competence in relation to the judgement of their instructors in diagnostic skills, but not in skills relevant to treatment. No gender differences were observed, although females performed better than males in the examination. Three categories of differences were observed in the students' comparison documents. The accompanying arguments may reveal students' understanding and methods of prioritising. CONCLUSIONS: Students tended to overestimate their competence in diagnostic rather than treatment skills. The interactive examination appeared to be a convenient tool for providing deeper insight into students' ability to prioritise, self-assess and steer their own learning.

Clinical Competence↗

The effects of an interactive software application on the self-assessment ability of dental students.

A randomised controlled trial was designed to test an Internet-based interactive application as a stand-alone support for the development of self-assessment skills among second-year dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malmö, Sweden. Fifty-two students were randomised into an experimental (n = 26) and a control group (n = 26). Both groups went through four identical learning cases in elementary clinical Periodontology during a period of 1 month. The experimental group received the cases with the interactive software, while the control group received them through a static web page. After the end of the learning phase, both groups were assessed blindly by two assessors during the interactive examination methodology. There was a moderate agreement between the two assessors, but both failed to find any significant differences between the two groups with regard to self-assessment skills and overall performance of the students. Students positively received the Internet support, but several attitude differences were observed between the two groups during the study. Time on task and competence with computers were positively correlated to assessment results for both groups. On the basis of these findings, it remains unclear if computer-based applications with automated feedback can constitute an effective remedial support for the improvement of self-assessment skills of students. In addition, for such applications to be successfully accepted, two factors are critical: students must have a clear perception of the benefits deriving from the use of the software and the use of the software should be integrated in the curriculum, replacing some of the existing workload.

Attitude to Computers↗

Feasibility of and satisfaction with the use of low-bandwidth videoconferencing for examination of undergraduate students.

We investigated the feasibility and students' acceptance of Internet-based videoconferencing as a communications method during examinations. Thirty-nine second-year dental students took an interactive examination in periodontology, comprising self-assessment, essay writing, discussion and feedback. The students were randomly divided into two groups, which were examined through the standard classroom procedure (n =15) or through Internet-based videoconferencing (n =24). Students evaluated the experience using a standardized questionnaire. The technology proved to be reliable. The interactive examination technique was well accepted, although there was significantly less satisfaction in the videoconference group (P <0.01). There were no significant differences in the performance of students between the two modalities. Interaction was stressed as one of the major strengths of the examination by students in the conventional group, but it appeared to be less appreciated by the videoconference group. Internet-based videoconferencing can successfully facilitate a highly structured assessment, although students seem to prefer classroom assessment.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

4.1 Web-based interactive learning programmes.

In the future, the training of competent dentists will need to take advantage of up-to-date digital technologies and learning practices. In order to accomplish this, the following goals should be considered: i) the design of 'customizable' web-based curriculum matrices that accommodate the training philosophies and resources of individual dental schools; ii) the development of digital instructional modules that can be incorporated or downloaded into specific parts of a curriculum; iii) the establishment of an e-consortium, which provides peer view and guidance in the design of teaching modules, and which is responsible for the storage, maintenance, and distribution of teaching modules within the consortium; iv) the development of central human and physical resources at each dental school to enable the seamless delivery of instructional modules in a variety of learning environments; and v) the assessment and provision of ICT training to students and faculty with respect to the use of computers and related digital technologies and educational software programmes. These goals should lead to the creation of a 'virtual dental school'. Within this project summative and formative evaluations should be performed during both the production and development of teaching material (e-learning material) and the learning process. During the learning process the following aspects should be measured and evaluated: i) students' behaviour; and ii) effectiveness, retention and the transfer of e-learned material into the clinical situation. To obtain evidence of the efficacy of e-learning material a certain amount of research has to be done in the near future. It is suggested that all parameters currently known have to be implemented during the development of a learning programme. Previous workers have evaluated the following elements with e-learning: i) planning, ii) programming and technical development, iii) learning behaviours, iv) learning outcomes of both the programme and the student, v) the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitude and vi) the transfer of e-learned skills into clinical situations.

Competency-Based Education↗

European convergence towards higher standards in dental education: the DentEd Thematic Network Project.

INTRODUCTION: This paper describes a Thematic Network Project (TNP) funded by the European Union's Directorate for Education and Culture. It focused on convergence towards higher standards in dental education in the European Union and included those 'Associate Countries' seeking membership of an expanding EU. The DentEd Project sought to use peer influence in promoting convergence towards higher standards in European dental education and training. There is evidence of serious differences in standards despite the European Union's Dental Directives and the series of guidelines and recommendations of their Advisory Committee on the Training of Dental Practitioners. METHODS: The DentEd TNP sought to improve communication, better understanding of different systems and to pool intellectual resources. A central objective of the network was to promote outcome analysis and the implementation of evidence-based treatments. DentEd sought to identify and disseminate innovations and best practices in European dental schools and stomatological institutions. This was achieved by instigating 30 self-assessments of dental schools throughout Europe. Self-assessment was followed by a visit from a team of international peers. Each assessment comprised 19 sections and was placed on the DentEd web site (www.dented.org) after it was jointly approved by the visitors and host school. The 30 self-assessment reports together with the visitors comments and recommendations were then divided into their component sections and analysed. Responsibility for each section was allocated to one of 19 different international working groups of between 8 and 12 people. Preliminary analyses from these working groups were presented and debated on the DentEd interactive web site. They finalised their findings in the DentEd Report at a Plenary meeting in the Nobel Forum in the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The meeting was organised in such a way that each working group finalised their report. This was followed by the rotation of the working groups to listen and respond to the presentation of another group on the basis of a series interactive meetings. At the end of the meeting the original groups reassembled and revised their analysis on the basis of the additional input from the other 200 individuals involved and then finalised their group's report on the web site. These reports are available on the web site and were also published in hard copy.1 The three-year DentEd Project achieved its stated objectives. CONCLUSION: The DentEd Thematic Network Project employed a process of schools visits, plenary meetings and the use of an interactive web site to help reach consensus on innovations, best practices and significant divergence in standards in dental education in Europe. This process has proven an effective method of improving communication and of increasing the understanding of diversity in a wide range of educational methods. It also emphasised the importance of continuing quality improvement and outcome analysis of the clinical competence of graduates from European dental schools. It is important to emphasise that schools visited are likely to reflect those with an open and flexible attitude to educational reform and development and perhaps they were not representative of those schools that would benefit most from a self-assessment followed by peer review. On completion of the DentEd Thematic Network Project (TNP) the European Union's Directorate for Education and Culture approved a new three-year DentEdEvolves TNP and the consortium has recently submitted a major proposal in the EU's eLearning initiative on the basis of the success of this collaboration. This has extended to include 75% of dental schools from North America and plans for extension to South-east Asia will bring a major meeting to Singapore in April 2002.

Communications Media↗

Influence of particle size of autogenous bone grafts on the early stages of bone regeneration: a histologic and stereologic study in rabbit calvarium.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of particle size of autogenous bone grafts on the early stages of bone regeneration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bicortical skull bone defects were prepared in 15 rabbits (4 in each rabbit). Two defects were filled at random with either small (0.5 to 2 mm3) or large (10 mm3) autogenous bone particles. In addition, 1 defect was left unfilled (control defect). All defects were covered bicortically by expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membranes. The animals were divided randomly into 3 groups and sacrificed after 1, 2, and 4 weeks, respectively. Histologic and stereologic evaluations were performed after the sections were blinded. RESULTS: No significant differences in total vessel surface area could be identified among the 3 groups. The total volume of newly formed bone in defects with small particles was larger and more mature compared to defects with large particles after 2 and 4 weeks. Furthermore, the resorption of small particles was more pronounced after 4 weeks, documenting a higher level of bone substitution compared to large particles. DISCUSSION: The early stages of bone regeneration were influenced by the particle site of autogenous bone grafts. CONCLUSION: The present study indicated that particles of 0.5 to 2 mm3 in size should be preferred to particles of 10 mm3 in size for bone grafting.

Analysis of Variance↗