Katie Bell: Improving Student Preparation and Accountability

Strategies for Student Preparation and Accountability

Katie Bell’s Pain Management course, the stakes are especially high. When her dental hygiene students come into the lab, they’re not doing hypothetical thought experiments or digital simulations. They’re practicing with real needles on real people–their peers. Obviously, these students need to be as prepared as possible when they come in the door, so Katie uses a flipped delivery of course content and innovative quizzing conditions to make sure that they are.

Saje Davis-Risen’s Faculty Teaching Profile to learn how she applies it in PA courses). By moving instructional content students can encounter on their own to outside the classroom, instructors free up face-to-face time for students to engage in more active learning experiences like application and extension activities. In Katie’s Pain Management course, using flipped strategies also adds a layer of accountability. To support this, Katie records short instructional videos demonstrating techniques (like giving injections), then posts them in Moodle. Recording the demonstrations as opposed to doing them live offers the additional benefits of ensuring every student has a good view of the procedure so they know exactly what to do and where and how to do it.