title: Educational necessities to compensate for faculty shortage.
abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate whether senior dental students (4DS) could serve as effective instructors in a two-semester preclinical laboratory course and whether such teaching experience could enhance their interest in academics as a future career. Based on academic performance, five senior students were recruited to serve as instructors in a two-semester morphology/occlusion laboratory course in which ninety-five first-year dental students were enrolled. The first-year students were randomly assigned so that each student was instructed by a faculty member in one semester and a 4DS in the other semester. Outcomes included course evaluation forms completed by the first-year dental students at the end of each semester; a comparison of students' performances in each course determined by faculty instructors and 4DSs; and the 4DSs' self-report of their teaching experiences. Results showed no significant difference between the performance of 4DS and faculty instructors in all criteria evaluated (p>.05). Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the performance of students instructed by faculty members and those instructed by 4DS in either semester (p>.05). Despite the fact that such experience seemed to have minimal influence on students' decision to consider academics as a future career, 4DSs do seem to provide effective instruction and thereby can serve to compensate for faculty shortages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 650 East 25 Street, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA. haj-alir@umkc.edu
authors.forename: Reem
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haj-Ali
authors.forename: Mary P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Cynthia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Petrie
authors.forename: Jasmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steven
mesh_terms: D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education; D002321:Career Choice; D003142:Communication; D003725:Dental Articulators; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D004497:Education, Dental; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005179:Faculty, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006801:Humans; D007574:Jaw Relation Record; D007754:Laboratories, Dental; D007858:Learning; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013335:Students, Dental; D013663:Teaching; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce