VIRTUAL DENTAL HYGIENE EDUCATORS CONFERENCE 2021 

  ADAPT

Teaching through COVID-19: Adapting and Thriving Within a Modern Dental Hygiene Education Landscape

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a wide range of new challenges for dental hygiene students, educators and programs. Never before in our profession has our educational environment shifted so significantly. 

Take a journey with Educators Platform through a four-week-long collaboration to discuss how to continue to successfully adapt through COVID-19. These exclusive, live sessions are intended for dental hygiene educators and programs to learn from national leaders in dental hygiene education and to collaborate with one another on best practices in our new educational landscape. 

Four conveniently scheduled 2-hour sessions:

• Thursday, February 4, 5pm - 7pm CST
• Thursday, February 11, 5pm - 7pm CST
• Thursday, February 18, 5pm - 7pm CST
• Thursday, February 25, 5pm - 7pm CST

Participants will earn 8 CEU over the course series and receive a special bonus!

Conference Agenda

Week 1

Teaching Virtually: Lessons Learned in the COVID-19 Era

Speaker: Cynthia C. Gadbury-Amyot, MSDH, EdD

University of Missouri - Kansas City, College of Dentistry

This highly interactive session will bring dental hygiene faculty together to discuss our experiences in the distance and online teaching and learning environment that we found ourselves thrust into March of 2020. What did we know about distance and online teaching prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and what have we learned since?  

Week 2

Maintaining Educational Systems During an Interruption in Education: Are you Complying with Accreditation Standards?

Speaker: Michele P. Carr, RDH, MA, EdD(c)

The Ohio State University, College of Dentistry

The interruption in education that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic left many programs scrambling to find innovative ways to maintain educational systems remotely and in a reduced capacity. The "new normal" virtual and preclinical/clinical educational environment has created a paradigm shift in the systems needed to maintain accreditation requirements. This session will provide an overview of how to continue to meet accreditation standards in light of these changes and provide an opportunity to discuss and explore best practices to achieve program and student success.

Week 3

Addressing the New Challenges of Students: Leveraging Students' Needs to Maximize Your Teaching Potential

Speaker: Vicki G. Pizanis, RDH, MS, EdD

The University of New Mexico, Department of Dental Medicine

What are the most important qualities of effective educators? How has the pandemic impacted the needs of students? Through an evidence-based approach, this session will cover what students desire from educators to aid in their success and uncover adaptations to personal teaching styles to address students' needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Week 4

Reestablishing 'We' - Bringing Back and Redefining Your Program's Sense of Community

Speaker: Danielle Rulli, RDH, MS, DHS

University of Michigan, Department of Periodontics & Oral Medicine

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on community for both students and the faculty team. Students' access to both education and community have been significantly impacted, and faculty are juggling students' needs while watching the line between home and work increasingly blur. This session will bring dental hygiene faculty together to discuss impacts of the COVID pandemic on dental hygiene student communities and faculty teams to strategize innovative ways to support all members of our learning communities.

Let Us Provide A Spring Inservice
For Your Faculty!

• This is a perfect CE opportunity to fulfill education-related CE for CODA Accreditation
• Great course for all faculty including part-time clinical faculty, didactic instructors, clinic coordinators and program directors
• Attendance of multiple faculty per institution is recommended for maximum program enhancement

Educators Platform is an online community of dental hygiene educators created to help educators reach our greatest potential by providing resources to assist in all aspects of our roles.