Certified Dental Assistant instructor has adopted a blended approach to support learning
Joanne Gibbons-Smyth is an instructor and chair of the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) program where she has been teaching since 2010. She has adopted a blended approach to support learning by engaging her students through a variety of assignments and labs, including skills videos, which she provides on Moodle.
She has seen first-hand the benefits of having learners work with content online as she enjoys the expanded opportunities for student collaboration during face-to-face classes to engage more deeply with course content. She has found that students have also enjoyed the multi-media resources she provides as a supplement to textbooks.
Increasingly, Gibbons-Smyth uses screen-capture to allow more engaging teaching and learning experiences for students.
She acknowledges though that not all learners embrace technology and ensures to diversify her learning materials and methods of delivery such as when CDA students provide community outreach on oral health, visiting local elementary schools to share their expertise.
On the horizon, Gibbons-Smyth is looking forward to transitioning into the new Health Sciences Centre to further explore real-time demonstrations with the Smart cameras slated to be installed in the operatory. If you are interested, she is happy to speak with other educators wishing to learn more about how she is using technology to enhance learning and teaching.
Certified Dental Assistant Certificate
Do you want to work alongside a dentist? This program provides the education, training and experience required by the College of Dental Surgeons of B.C. for registration as a Certified Dental Assistant.