Oral health educators' reflections on teaching 2022 and beyond.

INTRODUCTION: The global pandemic prompted changes in health science education affecting both teaching and learning. This multi-institutional study assesses the near-term implications of these changes on faculty and faculty development. The project goals were to: (1) describe faculty experiences of teaching during the pandemic; (2) identify ways to sustain new pedagogical approaches, (3) describe the types of support faculty members need, and (4) offer recommendations to enhance oral health professions education. METHODS: A mixed-method approach using exploratory sequential design was conducted in two phases collecting qualitative and quantitative data. Focus group participants included didactic, pre-clinical, and clinical faculty in dental school (DMD/DDS), dental hygiene and dental therapy programs, and also faculty members serving in administrative roles in these programs (N = 37). One hundred forty-four faculty participated in the multi-institutional follow-up survey. RESULTS: Focus group and survey results led to 14 recommendations (nine structural and five individual) for oral health profession institutions and educators. CONCLUSION: Oral health profession education faculty were dramatically impacted by the pandemic and new faculty development needs were identified. Traditional faculty development topics and practices may be no longer applicable in the post-COVID-19 environment. Additionally, the pandemic stimulated creative approaches for curriculum design, teaching, and assessment in oral health profession education. Strategies need to be implemented to sustain these innovations.

A qualitative assessment of dental hygiene educators' COVID-19 related burnout.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to elicit ideas or concerns influencing dental hygiene educators' experiences of personal and professional burnout, burnout working with students, and teaching efficacy in an online/hybrid environment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A qualitative, content-analysis study included a convenience sample of dental hygiene educators emails. An invitation to participate in an August 2021 or October 2021 focus group was sent via Qualtricsxm with informed consent, and focus groups were held over Zoom. Conversations were audio recorded, transcribed, and de-identified. Consensus on a codebook by two coders achieved an 88% agreement. RESULTS: Fifty-three were invited to the August 2021 focus groups for a 26% (n = 14) response rate, and 116 were invited to the October 2021 focus groups for an 11% (n = 13) response rate. Contributing factors to experiences of burnout expressed were: (1) work-life balance (n = 59), including (a) overwork, (b) pressure to be available, and (c) lack of boundaries; (2) change (n = 34) involving (a) developing new protocols, (b) constant uncertainty, (c) COVID-19 requirements, and (d) new platforms; and (3) negative interactions (n = 32) with (a) students and (b) faculty. CONCLUSION: A lack of work-life balance from overwork, pressure to be available at all times, no boundaries with students, and an absence of a sense of connection for workplace vitality were contributors to burnout. Work-from-home flexibility, a work environment that supported wellness and mental well-being, and the ability to leave the workplace for periods of time were reported as helpful solutions to combatting burnout.

The Roles of Privacy and Trust in Children's Evaluations and Explanations of Digital Tracking.

A "digital revolution" has introduced new privacy violations concerning access to information stored on electronic devices. The present two studies assessed how U.S. children ages 5-17 and adults (N = 416; 55% female; 67% white) evaluated those accessing digital information belonging to someone else, either location data (Study 1) or digital photos (Study 2). The trustworthiness of the tracker (Studies 1 and 2) and the privacy of the information (Study 2) were manipulated. At all ages, evaluations were more negative when the tracker was less trustworthy, and when information was private. However, younger children were substantially more positive overall about digital tracking than older participants. These results, yielding primarily medium-to-large effect sizes, suggest that with age, children increasingly appreciate digital privacy considerations.