A profile of dental school deans, 2021.

OBJECTIVE: In 2021, US dental school deans were surveyed to update and expand ADEA deans' profiles developed in 2002 and 2014. METHODS: The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and the Academy for Advancing Leadership (AAL) collaborated on an updated version of the 2014 dental deans' profile survey. On July 1, 2021, the research project was approved as exempt from IRB oversight. The survey was distributed in electronic format on July 31, 2021, to the deans of the 70 US dental schools, including 3 schools that had not yet held their first year of classes. A total of 60 responses were considered. RESULTS: Administration/management activities continue to consume deans' time the most, followed by fundraising. Managing personnel issues and financial/budget issues, including fundraising, represent the top aspects of the position deans must master and the greatest challenges they face and expect to face for the next 5 years. Deans found these same issues the most surprising aspects of their position, reporting a low level of preparedness to meet those challenges. Most deans advocated for additional leadership programs to supplement the current training received through ADEA and AAL. CONCLUSION: In recent years, gradual changes have occurred in the dental deans' profile, with more women and underrepresented groups assuming this leadership role and the average and median ages of deans increasing. Substantial turnover occurred among deans in recent years; when the 2014 survey was conducted, one respondent was an interim/acting dean. By comparison, seven reported their deanship status as interim/acting in 2021.

ADEA/AAL Institute for Allied Health Educators: Program Evaluation.

Revised accreditation standards for dental and dental hygiene education programs have increased emphasis on faculty development that can improve teaching and learning, foster curricular change including use of teaching and learning technologies, and enhance retention and satisfaction of faculty. The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and Academy for Academic Leadership (AAL) established the Institute for Allied Health Educators (IAHE) in 2007 to address faculty development needs for allied dental and allied health educators. In 2009, it was transitioned to an online program, which resulted in increased enrollment and diversity of participants. After seven years, a comprehensive program evaluation was warranted. The authors developed an online questionnaire based on Kirkpatrick's four-level model of training evaluation; for this study, levels one (satisfaction), two (knowledge and skill acquisition), and three (behavior change) were examined. Of the 400 program participants invited to take part in the study, a 38% response rate was achieved, with the majority indicating full-time faculty status. Nearly all (95-97%) of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed the program contributed to their teaching effectiveness, and 88-96% agreed or strongly agreed it enhanced their knowledge of educational concepts and strategies. In addition, 83% agreed or strongly agreed the program helped them develop new skills and confidence with technology, with 69% agreeing or strongly agreeing that it helped them incorporate technology into their own educational setting. Nearly 90% were highly positive or positive in their overall assessment of the program; 95% indicated they would recommend it to a colleague; and 80% agreed or strongly agreed they had discussed what they learned with faculty colleagues at their home institutions who had not attended the program. Positive findings from this evaluation provide evidence that the IAHE has been able to meet its goals.

Faculty development for underrepresented minority dental faculty and residents.

This report describes the implementation and evaluation of the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center Dental Faculty Development Program (DFDP) for fifteen participants: five advanced dental education faculty members and ten residents. The 100-hour DFDP, designed in the longitudinal immersion model for faculty development, was conducted in four phases at the Bronx-Lebanon Department of Dentistry in the Bronx, New York, in 2010-11. The DFDP was implemented to help underrepresented minority (URM) dental residents and clinical faculty members develop skills necessary for academic careers and enhanced teaching effectiveness. The program's curriculum had four themes: teaching and learning, scholarship, academic leadership, and career planning. For each phase, the participants completed pre- and post-training assessments of their knowledge, attitudes, and confidence, as well as qualitative evaluation of DFDP organization, content, activities, and value. The participants' pre-instruction mean knowledge score for all phases combined was 48.3 percent, and the post-test score was 81.1 percent (p=0.01). The participants showed minimal change in their attitudes about educational issues, but they reported enhanced confidence for twenty-five skills addressed in the DFDP. The total confidence score was 77.5 (25 skills × 3.1 group mean) on all pre-tests combined and 100.2 (25 × 4.0 group mean) on the post-tests (p=0.01). The participant ratings for overall DFDP implementation and for twenty-four topical sessions were uniformly positive. The faculty and resident participants in this year-long faculty development initiative at an advanced dental education program with a high URM representation demonstrated enhanced knowledge and confidence and provided positive program evaluations. This report also describes curricular and assessment enhancements for subsequent years of the DFDP based on the first-year outcomes.

AACP strategy for addressing the professional development needs of department chairs.

OBJECTIVES: Characterize the skills and abilities required for department chairs, identify development needs, and then create AACP professional development programs for chairs. METHODS: A 30-question electronic survey was sent to AACP member department chairs related to aspects of chairing an academic department. RESULTS: The survey identified development needs in the leadership, management, and personal abilities required for effective performance as department chair. The information was used to prioritize topics for subsequent AACP development programs. Subsequent programs conducted at AACP Interim and Annual Meetings were well attended and generally received favorable reviews from participants. A list of development resources was placed on the AACP website. CONCLUSIONS: This ongoing initiative is part of an AACP strategy to identify and address the professional development needs of department chairs. Survey results may also inform faculty members and other academic leaders about the roles and responsibilities of department chairs.

Chanqes in dental school curricula, 2003-2009.

This 2009 study of dental school curricula follows a similar one conducted in 2002-2003. Through a Web-based survey, the authors gathered information from dental schools about: (a) trends in curricular change over seven years; (b) changes underway in dental school curricula; (c) significant challenges to curricular innovation; and (d) projected trends in curricular change and innovation. In a significant change from the 2002-2003 study, a high proportion (91%) of the responding schools require community-based patient care by all students, with just over one-half ot them requiring five or more weeks of such experience. Respondents reported that priorities for future curriculum modification included: creating interdisciplinary curricula that are organized around themes, blending the basic and clinical sciences, provision of some elements of core curriculum in an online format, developing new techniques for assessing competency, and increasing collaborations with other health professions schools. Respondents identified training for new faculty members in teaching skills, curriculum design, and assessment methods as the most critical need to support future innovation.

Preparing faculty for the future: AAVMC members' perceptions of professional development needs.

Our purpose in this study was to determine professional development needs of faculty in the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges' (AAVMC's) member institutions, including those needs associated with current and emerging issues and leadership development. The survey asked respondents to report their level of job satisfaction and their perceptions of professional development as they related to support and resources, teaching, research, career planning, and administration. Five hundred and sixty-five individuals from 49 member institutions responded to an online professional development needs survey. We found that job satisfaction was associated with a variety of workplace variables correlated with academic rank, with those of higher academic rank expressing greater levels of satisfaction. Respondents with tenure also expressed generally higher levels of satisfaction. Most of the respondents expressed interest in learning more about topics related to teaching (e.g., effective questioning, giving feedback, principles of learning and motivation), research (e.g., research design, writing grants), career planning (e.g., mentoring, time management), and administration (e.g., fostering innovation, enhancing productivity, improving the work environment). Just more than half of the respondents indicated moderate to high interest in an AAVMC multi-phase leadership training program. The study suggests topics for which AAVMC should provide professional development opportunities either at existing meetings or through new programming. The study also suggests directions for individual institutions as they seek to implement professional development activities at the local level.

Knowledge, skills, and attitudes of veterinary college deans: AAVMC survey of deans in 2010.

The purposes of this Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) study was to develop a profile of deans to understand the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that current deans of schools and colleges of veterinary medicine consider important to job success and to inform the association's leadership development initiatives. Forty-two deans responded to an online leadership program needs survey, which found that knowledge, skills, and abilities related to communication, finance and budget management, negotiation, conflict management, public relations, and fundraising were recommended as the most important areas for fulfilling a deanship. Most respondents speculated that the greatest challenges for their institutions will be in the areas of faculty recruitment and retention and financing veterinary education. Reflecting on their experiences, respondents offered an abundance of advice to future deans, often citing the importance of preparation, communication, and leadership qualities as necessary for a successful and satisfying deanship. More than three-quarters of the respondents indicated moderate to high interest in an AAVMC multi-phase leadership training program to develop administrative leaders. A nearly equal number also indicated support for formal leadership training for current veterinary medical college and school deans. The study suggests leadership development topics that AAVMC could provide at existing meetings or through new programming. The study also suggests directions for individual institutions as they seek to implement leadership development activities at the local level.

Curriculum change in dental education, 2003-09.

This 2009 study of dental school curricula follows a similar one conducted in 2002-03. Through a web-based survey, the authors gathered information from dental schools about 1) past trends in curricular change over seven years; 2) current changes under way in dental school curricula; 3) significant challenges to curricular innovation; and 4) projected future trends in curricular change and innovation. Fifty-five schools (fifty U.S. and five Canadian) responded to the survey for a response rate of 86 percent. In addition to background information, the survey requested information in four broad areas: curriculum format, curriculum assessment, curriculum innovation, and resources needed for curriculum enhancement. Forty-nine percent of the respondents defined their curriculum format as primarily organized by disciplines. Half of the respondents reported the use of problem-based and case-reinforced learning for a section or specific component of some courses. In a significant change from the 2002-03 study, a high proportion (91 percent) of the responding schools require community-based patient care by all students, with just over half requiring five or more weeks of such experience. Competency-based education to prepare an entry-level general dentist seems well established as the norm in responding dental schools. Forty-three percent or less of the responding schools indicated that their students participate with other health professions education programs for various portions of their educational experience. Since the 2002-03 survey, dental schools have been active in conducting comprehensive curriculum reviews; 65 percent indicated that their most recent comprehensive curriculum review is currently under way or was conducted within the past two years. Respondents indicated that the primary reasons for the configuration of the current curriculum were "perceived success" (it works), "compatibility with faculty preferences," "faculty comfort," and "capacity/feasibility." Key catalysts for curricular change were "findings of a curriculum review we conducted ourselves," students' feedback about curriculum, and administration and faculty dissatisfaction. There was an increase in the percentage of schools with interdisciplinary courses, especially in the basic sciences since 2002-03, but no change in the use of problem-based and case-reinforced learning in dental curricula. Respondents reported that priorities for future curriculum modification included creating interdisciplinary curricula that are organized around themes, blending the basic and clinical sciences, provision of some elements of core curricula in an online format, developing new techniques for assessing competency, and increasing collaborations with other health professions schools. Respondents identified training for new faculty members in teaching skills, curriculum design, and assessment methods as the most critical need to support future innovation.

Leadership development in dental education: report on the ADEA Leadership Institute, 2000-08.

This report describes participants' assessment of their experiences in the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Leadership Institute program. The ADEA Leadership Institute is designed for mid-career faculty members who desire to attain administrative roles within their own or other institutions or enhance their effectiveness in these roles. This year-long program, conducted in four phases, is ADEA's flagship career enhancement program and provides dental educators with perspectives about oral health policy and legislation, organization and financing of higher education, the dental school's role within the parent institution, financial management, legal issues, recruiting faculty, and opportunities to acquire and practice skills associated with effective leadership. ADEA Leadership Institute Fellows also explore team-building, personality preferences, leadership styles, emotional intelligence, stress management, work-life balance, strategies for leading change, and giving and receiving feedback, as well as engaging in self- and peer assessment throughout the year. Each year up to twenty-one fellows are selected to participate in the institute in a competitive application process. In 2009, 149 fellows who participated in the institute from 2000 to 2008 were invited to take part in a survey to establish their profiles and academic leadership roles, determine their perceptions of the benefits from the institute curriculum, and elicit their suggestions for improvement. The survey response rate was 73 percent (n=109). Ninety-nine percent of respondents gave an overall positive assessment of their experiences. The most beneficial experiences, according to respondents, included networking with the program participants, advisors, and instructors (78 percent); self-discovery through self-assessments and evaluations (44 percent); and a 360 degree feedback process to provide additional reflection about areas for improvement (17 percent). Least beneficial experiences identified by survey respondents included sessions devoted to oral health legislation (33 percent), group projects (28 percent), and mentorship received during the institute year (12 percent). In the final part of the survey, participants provided suggestions for improvements and new areas for program planners to consider. Additions to the current curriculum (30 percent)-such as how to recruit and retain faculty-and advanced leadership training (15 percent)-including behavioral change theory-topped the improvement list. The results of this study indicate that the ADEA Leadership Institute is fulfilling its mission. Fellows are advancing in their careers and assuming administrative leadership roles within their home institutions while making scholarly contributions to the literature and undertaking leadership positions in ADEA.

Developing dental faculty for the future: ADEA/AAL Institute for Teaching and Learning, 2006-09.

This report summarizes the history and curriculum of the American Dental Education Association/Academy for Academic Leadership Institute for Teaching and Learning (ADEA/AAL ITL) Program for Dental School Faculty, describes participant feedback, and reviews how the program serves the faculty development initiatives of the American Dental Education Association. The fifty-hour program (6.5 days), conducted in two phases at collaborating dental schools, enhances core academic competencies of new and transitional faculty, including faculty members whose responsibilities include predoctoral, allied, and postdoctoral dental education. The program's mission is to prepare participants to become more effective teachers and develop other skills that will facilitate confidence, job satisfaction, and professional growth in the academic environment. From 2005 to 2009, 174 individuals graduated from the program, representing forty-three schools of dentistry in the United States and Canada and twenty-nine private practices. A total of forty scholarships have been awarded to participants by the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and the American Association of Orthodontists. In an online survey completed by 75 percent of ADEA/AAL ITL participants, 99 percent indicated they were positive or highly positive about their learning experience in this faculty development program. Ninety-six percent stated that the program had been important or very important in their effectiveness as a teacher. In 2010, the program will be held at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, with phase I occurring on August 19-22, 2010, and phase II on October 22-24, 2010. In summary, the ADEA/AAL ITL is addressing an unmet need through a formal professional development program designed to help new and potential faculty members thrive as educators and become future leaders in academic health care.