A bit more information

This presentation explores strategies for effectively teaching a diverse range of students in dental assisting education. Unlike dental hygiene programs, where students share a common academic foundation due to prerequisite requirements, dental assisting classes often include students with varying levels of college experience. These students range from those with prior degrees or significant coursework to recent high school graduates with minimal college exposure. This variability presents unique challenges in designing instruction that challenges advanced learners while providing foundational support for those with less experience. The session will address teaching strategies for clinical science courses, where instructors must balance individualized attention with group instruction, particularly in topics requiring precision, such as infection control and sterilization.

Program Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify challenges and opportunities in teaching students with diverse academic and professional backgrounds.
2. Develop strategies to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of advanced learners and those requiring additional foundational support.
3. Implement time-efficient methods to provide individualized feedback in clinical lab settings.
4. Enhance the structure of lab sessions to optimize student learning and maintain high standards of competency in essential skills like infection control and sterilization.
5. Explore tools and techniques to teach essential study and time-management skills to less-experienced students.

This session will provide actionable insights and tips for educators aiming to create an inclusive and effective learning environment in dental assisting education.

Educators Platform Masterminds are dynamic two-hour virtual sessions building on each other’s challenges, ideas and successes in the presence of a content expert. Mastermind sessions are thoughtfully facilitated to create an environment for like-minded colleagues to share and learn from one another with the goal of collective professional growth and development. Sessions are uniquely tailored to the needs of participants. Those attending will have the opportunity to create strong connections with other participants to last a whole career.

More about our content expert: Dr. Mesimer is a first-generation college graduate with a Master of Science in Community Health and a PhD in Community College Leadership from Old Dominion University. She has been a faculty member at Germanna Community College since 1999 and currently serves as the Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene Program Director. Dr. Mesimer played a key role in establishing and implementing all dental programs at Germanna, collaborating with Northern Virginia Community College and Mountain Empire Community College. She has received several awards at Germanna, including the Professional Management Effectiveness and Leadership Award and the College and Community Service Award. Appointed to the Virginia Board of Dentistry in 2004 by Governor Mark Warner, Dr. Mesimer served two terms. She has been an active member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association since 1994, holding positions such as VDHA Legislative Chair and President, advocating for dental hygienists to work under general supervision. Dr. Mesimer is also involved with the Virginia Dental Hygiene Program Director’s Consortium and the American Dental Education Association, having served in leadership roles. She is a veteran site visitor for the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation and is currently part of a task force revising the ADEA Allied Dental Education Compendium. Honored by her peers, Dr. Mesimer has received awards from the American Dental Education Association, the Virginia Dental Hygienists’ Association, and the ARC of the Rappahannock. She values her roles as a wife, mother to two daughters, and a proud member of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe.

Attendees of Educators Platform Mastermind sessions will earn 2 CEU in Educational Methods.