title: New curricular design in biostatistics to prepare residents for an evidence-based practice and lifelong learning education: a pilot approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop, implement and evaluate an innovative curriculum in biostatistics in response to the need to foster critical thinking in graduate healthcare education for evidence-based practice and lifelong learning education.
  
  
  METHODS
  The curriculum was designed for first-year residents in a postgraduate endodontic programme using a six-step approach to curriculum development to provide sufficient understanding to critically evaluate biomedical publications, to design the best research strategy to address a specific problem and to analyse data by appropriate statistical test selection. Multiple learner-centred instructional methods and formative and summative assessments (written tasks, simulation exercises, portfolios and pre-post knowledge tests) were used to accomplish the learning outcomes. The analysis of the achievement of the group of students and a satisfaction survey for further feedback provided to the residents at the end of the curriculum were used for curriculum evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All residents demonstrated competency at the end of the curriculum. The correct answer rate changed from 36.9% in the pre-test to 79.8% in the post-test. No common errors were detected in the rest of the assessment activities. All participants completed the questionnaire demonstrating high satisfaction for each independent category and with the overall educational programme, instruction and course in general.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The curriculum was validated by the assessment of students' performance and a satisfaction survey, offering an example of a practical approach to the teaching of statistics to prepare students for a successful evidence-based endodontic practice and lifelong learning education as practicing clinicians.
authors: Department of Endodontics, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA, USA.|Department of Conservative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.
authors: A
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2270-8096
authors: A
authors: Arias
authors: Department of Endodontics, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors: O A
authors: OA
authors: Peters
authors: Medical Education Leadership, University of New England, Biddeford, ME, USA.
authors: I L
authors: IL
authors: Broyles
mesh_terms: D056808:Biostatistics; D003479:Curriculum; D004498:Education, Dental, Continuing; D055094:Evidence-Based Dentistry / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects
keywords: biostatistics; curriculum development; curriculum evaluation; evidence-based practice; lifelong learning