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San
Diego State University Preprofessional Health Advising Office |
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Mondays at 5:30 PM in Calpulli Center, 4th Floor, Conference Room 3 (CLP 4104)
Barbara
Huntington, Director,
Preprofessional Health Advising Office, GMCS-323,
594-6638
email:bhuntington@mail.sdsu.edu
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Purpose:
Biology 340A is a special studies course that provides predental students an opportunity to learn more about the dental profession and dental school requirements. This course is a one unit, 4 hours/week, credit/no credit class which does not affect overall GPA, but will appear on your transcript. This is a service learning class because students can choose among trips offered by the club to teach dental hygiene in the community. All students must have a release form on file with Associated Students.
This class is run by students with the professor acting in the role of facilitator. There are specific requirements to pass the class, but your input and enthusiasm are vital to making it a strong learning experience for you and your classmates.
Prerequisites: You must be a junior student in good academic standing, have an active file in the Preprofessional Health Advising Office, and have an interest in a dental career. However, if you are not yet a junior, you are encouraged to attend and participate in all activities.
Materials: Students will be required to bring a clay carving instrument for the workshop on February 25. Details will be provided in the first class meeting.
Learning Objectives:
As a result of this course, students will:
Apprenticeship Positions: Apprentices earn regular Biol 340A credit, but are being trained as directors for the following semester. Students who apply to be apprentices are expected to apply for the directorships and enroll in the two-unit, letter-grade, Biol 340B class the following semester in the positions for which they were trained. The Class Coordinator 2 position serves as an apprenticeship for Class Coordinator 1 although Biol 340B credit is given for both positions.
Meetings:
Classes
will be held in Calpulli Center, 4th Floor, Conference Room 3.
Be sure to check the syllabus on line each week in case there is a change
in the room number. Since the class meetings are the basis of the course,
attendance at class meetings is mandatory. Predental Club participation
is strongly recommended. These meetings will all begin at 5:30 p.m. and
are listed below. The workshops and trips are sponsored by the Predental
Club:
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Course Components:
1) Oral Hygiene Presentations
Students will give oral
hygiene presentations at the regular trips. These presentations
will present proper brushing and flossing techniques and address common
oral diseases.
Each oral hygiene presentation given is worth 2.5 points. A maximum of 10 points (4 presentations) may be earned by giving oral hygiene presentations each semester.
2) Class Sessions (minimum
required for credit in course)
Students are encouraged to attend all regular Preventive Dentistry class
sessions held on Mondays 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. A minimum of 13 classes is
required
Each class session attended is worth 2.5 points. The maximum
number of points will correspond to the number of regular class sessions
held within the semester.
3) Observation in a Dental Office
Students will be required to observe in dental offices. Only one student should observe at a time, and the
appointment should be made well in advance to accommodate the dentist’s
schedule. At the end of the observation time, students must have the dentist
fill out the Observation Evaluation form. These forms can be downloaded
from the Blackboard website or by clicking on the following link: Observation
Evaluation Form. When you are observing in a dental office, be sure
to dress professionally. Click here for recommended
conduct and dress.
Each hour of observation completed is worth 2 points.
A total of 20 points (10 hours of observation) may be earned by observing
each semester, but students are encouraged to do as many as possible on their own.
4) Field Trips (minimum required for
credit in course)
In order to receive credit in the course, students are required to attend three dental club field trips each semester, but are encouraged to attend more trips.
Two to three trips are offered to each of the following locations each semester:
T.R.A.C.E., preschool or elementary schools, and other trips set up by the Community Outreach . Students must attend trips in at least two categories. These trips
are fun and rewarding and allow students to interact with potential patients
and teach about proper oral hygiene.
Each field trip attended is worth 5 points. A maximum of 15 points (3 trips) may be earned by attending trips each semester. A Release and Waiver Form is required for each participant, and an Organization/Driver Insurance Release form is required for all drivers. (See Associated Students AppendixC) If a student signs up for a trip and does not attend it, they will be penalized five points requiring them to attend a makeup trip plus an additional trip.
5) Oral Hygiene Quiz (passing
grade required for credit in course) n
Students will be given an oral hygiene and anatomy quiz. Students must earn
a passing score of 80% or better in order to receive credit for the course.
A score of 80% or better on the oral hygiene quiz is worth
10 points. A maximum of 10 points may be earned by passing the oral hygiene
quiz.
6) Service Learning Reflection Paper (passing
grade required for credit in course)
Students will complete a minimum two-page paper delineating their experience
on two or more trips into the community to provide oral hygiene education.
Students will describe their experiences and how they felt those experiences
impacted them, their community, and their future as a dental professional.
The Service Learning Reflection Paper is worth a maximum of 10 points. A score of 80% or better on the Service Learning Reflection Paper is required in order to receive credit in the course.
7) The Dental Annual
Each year the Predental Club, in collaboration with Preventive Dentistry, publishes an annual of predental activities. Students should bring a camera to every class and activity and share their pictures on Photobucket. The password and user name are available on Blackboard. The annual is developed by the editors and apprentice editors. Assignments for the apprentices are below:
1. Page layout
In order to receive credit in the course, students must earn 95 out of a possible 100 points for completing work in the various components of the course. In addition, four components of the course must be completed in full in order to receive credit. These four components include 1) attendance, 2) three or more field trips into the community, 3) a score of 80% or better on the Oral Hygiene Quiz and 4) a score of 80% or better on the Service Learning Reflection Paper.
All work for the course must be completed and turned in to the class coordinators no later than the last regular class session of the semester.Substitutions for any points are not encouraged, but in an emergency, a proposal may be submitted to Barbara. An approval, signed by Barb, is required and will include a two page paper (to be determined by instructor) AND a substantially greater number of hours than would have been needed for the original activity. All proposals must be made to Barbara at least 2 weeks before the final. Only one class may be made up by a one page paper on the subject covered in that class.
C. PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY PLEDGE (to be signed and turned in at the first class meeting)
Required for Course Credit:
| Activity |
Requirement |
x |
Credits |
= |
Points* |
| Observation |
10
Hours |
x |
02 |
= |
20 |
| Trips |
3 Trips |
x |
05 |
= |
15 |
| Attendance |
13
Meetings |
x |
03 |
= |
39 |
| Hygiene Quiz |
1 (must pass >80%) |
x |
08 |
= |
8 |
| Hygiene Instruction |
4 presentations |
x |
02.5 |
= |
10 |
| Service Learning Reflection Paper | 1 | x | 08 | = | 08 |
| TOTAL |
= |
100.0
Points |
* Maximum number of points for any one requirement.