17 March 2007

ADEA Symposium: How Virtual Reality is Creating Opportunities for Curricula Development of the Future
Room: Hilton - Oak Alley

Principal Coordinators: Dr. Richard Simonsen
Presenters: Dr. Paul Brown, Dr. Eric Herbranson, Dr. Robert Hasel, Dr. Charles Goodacre

FOCUS: Instructional Methods and Curriculum

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Attendees will: gain awareness of advancements in technology and how they are changing the landscape of the way information is given and received; be able to apply the principles learned to individual curriculum development; gain appreciation for the need to change the way in which information is delivered

It is clear that dental schools must change most present-day curricula to accommodate advances in technology and the changing face of dental school applicants. Today's applicants learn in different ways, and schools must adapt to accommodate the highly technical world in which they live. Information must be delivered in a way in which dental students can most usefully absorb the information. The session will be organized into the following parts: introduction, including how technological changes can be adopted in a new school and how they need to be adopted by all schools; the evolution of virtual reality in academia; how computers interact with virtual information; integration of an innovative new concept in dental simulators in the dental school curriculum; and assessment of the potential value of virtual reality for dental schools of the future. Attendees will gain awareness of advances in technology and how they are changing the landscape of the way information is given and received; be able to apply the principles learned to curriculum development; and gain appreciation for the need to change the way in which information is delivered.