IV. Read the text and look for the answers to the following

questions.

1. What does the term "active learning" mean?

2. Is traditional lecturing effective?

3. What is your opinion regarding introduction of problem-based lear­ning?

4. Does new approach develop responsibility for training?

5. Do you support the notion "less lecturing and more learning"?

ACTIVE LEARNING

"Active learning" is a frequently encountered term and most difficult to be defined. The implication is that a student who actively learns trans­fers new information into personal knowledge for life, whereas the stu­dent who passively learns merely remembers facts without necessary understanding or transforming them into knowledge, for repetition at a suitable opportunity, normally the examination.

A deep approach if dental students are to become the kind of practi­tioners we require. Course objectives must specify more than just facts and technical skills, and give emphasis to higher level intellectual skills. Teaching activities must be introduced which require students to demon­strate a deep understanding of the subject. Lecturing must be reduced in favour of group-based and self-direct learning, and the amount of factu­al material which has to be simply memorized must be reduced.

The introduction of problem-based learning which is learning through discussing relevant problems, with the emphasis on learning rather than solving the problem. Problems are often interdisciplinary and force the student into relating new information with existing knowledge. The ad­vantage of problem-solving exercises is that the problems of the patient trigger the search for factual information, rather than teaching this fac­tual information before exposing the student to the patient's problems.

Dental schools must instil into students the confidence and ability to analyse and criticise their own work, and freely discuss it with colleagues. The development of team approach, and the ability to give and accept advice or criticism, are skills lacking in the traditionally independent practitioner.

New approach will make students responsible for their goals, learning methods, assessment criteria and grades.

V. The following statements are not accurate. Make them more

precise:

1. There appeared to be a tendency for schools which had previously accepted slightly lower "A" level standards for entry to receive a larger number of applicants.

2. Recently the schools with higher than average gpa scores had fewer applicants.

3. Personal, social and cultural factors may influence the choice of University. Recent trends in university entry for dentistry in the uk

The publication of the Report of the University Grants Committee resulted in the closure of two UK dental schools, adoption of a five-year dental course, and set target numbers for the annual intake of "home" (European Community) undergraduate students for each school. There are approximately 850 places available in the mainland UK dental schools for entry to either the first dental or pre-dental courses. Failure to meet tar­get entry numbers has serious financial implications for dental schools.

This study of undergraduate applications to UK mainland dental schools has shown that one of the main influences upon the selection of a University dental school by prospective students is the academic standard of advanced level GCE achievement which has been acceptable to the school for entry in the past. Students are required by UCCA to select five universities for application and clearly they choose overall to apply where they perceive there is a better chance of satisfying academic entrance requirements. Thus, dental schools with lower GPA scores tend to receive more applications. The fact that schools with higher than average GPA scores had fewer applications indicates that they had no difficulty in fill­ing their places with high quality candidates. It would be wrong, there­fore, to suggest that a dental school with a higher number of applications is necessarily perceived as a "better school" than one with a lower num­ber. Indeed, the converse may be true.

Personal, social and cultural factors must also influence the choice of university and account for much of the disparity between application rates to different dental schools. Distance from home is known to be an important factor for some students. Most students attend a University within a 200-mile radius of home and so regional population density is a major factor influencing application rates. There are also obvious effects in certain places such as the pronounced tendency of those qualifying with Scottish Highers to seek places at Scottish dental schools, and marked variations in the enthusiasm of students to study in Universities in relatively rural or urban settings.

That there was no relationship found between number of places avail­able and application rates indicates that prospective students are neither attracted to, nor distracted from, applying to larger schools. There ap­pears to be a trend for some provincial English schools, as well as those in London, to have lower GPA entry scores which could reflect the neces­sity to fill all available places.

UCCA - Universities Central Council on Admission

GPA - Grade Point Average

GCE - General Certificate of Education