accred standards dental technicians, pdf

DCNZ Guidelines for Accreditation of Programmes Offered in Dental Technology and Clinical Dental Technology

Introduction

The Dental Council of New Zealand, established under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, is responsible for protecting the health and safety of the public by providing the mechanisms to ensure that all oral health professionals are competent and fit to practise their profession. The Dental Council is also charged with:

Prescribing the qualifications required for registration in dental scopes of practice and for that purpose accrediting and monitoring educational institutions and degrees, courses of study or programmes

Ensuring that new registrants are competent to practice

Setting programmes to ensure the ongoing competence of registered health practitioners Setting standards of clinical and cultural competence and ethical conduct.

The Dental Council of New Zealand and the Australian Dental Council have established a joint accreditation process for Australasian dental schools and programmes. Accreditation by the Dental Councils of New Zealand and Australia is the process by which the Councils recognise a dental educational programme, including its facilities, as having met the defined Australasian requirements.

The information requested in this proforma, together with attached documents, forms the basis of the accreditation visits to be held. This proforma is based on Australian Accreditation documentation and the documentation used for the accreditation of the BDS programme in New Zealand.

The review process will be conducted in a positive and constructive manner, with the best interests of dentistry foremost in the minds of the reviewers. It is intended that the review should be largely a selfassessment process by the educational providers themselves, with a site visit by the review team to interact with staff and students, discuss issues arising from the documentation, and to view the facilities and operations of the educational provider.

This proforma provides a number of guidelines that direct responses by asking specific question and requesting specific documentation. Responses should be kept brief and to the point. Extra information may be provided as an appendix.

The curricula for Dental Technicians and Clinical Dental Technicians should produce caring professionals who are able to work unsupervised within a dental team, adapt to change and continue to educate themselves throughout their careers in order to promote the health of others. Most importantly, the new graduate should be competent to practice within their scope of practice on registration.

To achieve this aim the curriculum should extend beyond explicit learning objectives related to Dental Technicians’ and Clinical Dental Technicians’ practice to include opportunities for developing social responsibility and for personal growth. Therefore the curriculum should provide an appropriate focus on the three areas: content, society and student development. These areas should be integral to the Programme and a continuous part of student activity within their discipline. They should also permeate the whole of the curriculum and be evident as being evaluated in assessment throughout the course.

Content area includes:

• mastery of theory related to society and health and Dental Technician and Clinical Dental Technician practice;

• command of clinical and technical skills; . • critical thinking;

• problem solving; and the • desire to continue learning.

Social responsibility includes:

• civic responsibility;

• vocational preparation; • ethical values and behaviour; and

• empathy and compassion for others.

Student development includes:

• selfesteem and personal growth; • creative expression;

• cultivation of personal talents and interest areas; and

• health and safety.

It is not the intention of the Accreditation process to assess each of these focus areas individually. Rather the Dental Technician and Clinical Dental Technician Programmes should identify pertinent examples as it addresses the guidelines and/or includes information in the SWOT analysis.

The intention is to identify the diversity of teaching and learning approaches in the Schools within the continuum of dental education, recognising that this diversity can strengthen the educational system, provided that each provider continually evaluates its own methods.

The review process should enable the strengths and weaknesses of each programme to be identified. It is intended that this should be the result of a thorough and honest self assessment. An integral part of this process will be completion of a SWOT analysis.

The information requested in this proforma must be provided to the DCNZ well before the scheduled visitation so that members of the visiting team can meet and discuss the responses. The convenor of the visiting team may then ask for clarification of certain responses or for additional information prior to the visit. The visits will be arranged in liaison with the Dean/Head of School. They will be carried out in a positive constructive atmosphere.

The responses from the School will form the basis of the accreditation report with comments from the visiting team added for each of the guidelines. The aim is for each School to have substantial ownership of the process, both in terms of collating the information and also in relation to the final document.

Outcomes of the Accreditation Process

On the advice of the Accreditation Committee, the ADC will select one of the following options for each specialist program put forward for accreditation:

1. Full accreditation covers the full five years until the next round of accreditation. At its discretion, the Council may require an annual report from each program convenor indicating the current status of the program and particularly detailing any significant alteration from the program that was accredited originally.

2. Full accreditation subject to conditions covers five years but is subject to the condition that certain actions detailed in the accreditation report are realised within a specified time frame. The ADC or DCNZ may require the submission of further materials for review and reserves the option to revisit the School. A written statement detailing compliance with the ADC report is the minimum requirement.

3. Provisional accreditation. This will cover a variable period but generally not longer than that required to allow current candidates to complete their specific program. It is reserved for the situation where major deficiencies in a program are identified including the nonprovision of requested materials. Provisional accreditation is allocated as a positive step in bringing a program to an acceptable standard and may reflect deficiencies identified in any area reviewed during the accreditation process. It should not be viewed, either internally or externally, as a negative statement.

4. No accreditation. Used in only the most exceptional circumstances where deficiencies in a program are such that it is felt graduates would be unable to achieve the required levels of scholarship and expertise. Every effort is made to avoid this situation and active consultation would involve the University, State Dental Board, DCNZ and/or specialist consultants.

5. New program accreditation. Any level of accreditation may be used in this category which covers both entirely new programs and heavily restructured programs. Some conditions would usually be identified and the School required to respond to these within a specified time frame. The aim of this category is to streamline the progress to full accreditation.

Guidelines

Definition of Terms

For clarity and consistency the following terms will be used throughout this document: • Programme. Courses of educational and training for Dental Technicians and Clinical Dental

Technicians. • School. The educational facility responsible for the delivery of the Programme • Educational Institutions. The university or college of which the School is part.

This proforma seeks information about 20 areas, each of which is described by a guideline. The guidelines indicate the desirable standards against which the School will be assessed, and the context in which the DCNZ will make any recommendations or suggestions. For each of the areas to be considered by review teams, together with their associated guidelines, a series of questions and requests is provided to direct responses.

Particular attention should be paid to the wording of the guidelines. For instance, a guideline may take the form of either a "must" or "should" statement. The wording signifies the importance of that particular guideline for accreditation as follows:

Must: compliance with the guideline is considered to be essential or mandatory. Should: compliance with the guideline is highly desirable.

While the same guidelines are applied for both new and established programmes, it is recognised that it may be difficult for those introducing new programmes or substantial changes to supply all of the information requested, and allowance will be made for this.

Any issues which a School finds are not addressed under the guidelines may be included in the SWOT analysis (item 18).

The guidelines are as follows:

Guideline 1

There must be a clearly defined educational philosophy for the Dental Technology and/or Clinical Dental Technology Programmes. It is recognised that diversity of teaching and learning approaches can strengthen the educational system provided that the School continually evaluates its own methods.

Guideline 2 All programmes must address the recommendations and suggestions made at previous internal or external course reviews. This is an important determinant of the process as it demonstrates a School's awareness of the need for continual improvement.

Guideline 3 The Programme must exist as a distinct course of study within the Educational Institution. Students must have the same rights and privileges as other students of the Educational Institution.

Guideline 4 The Programme must have adequate continuing financial resources, management structure and administration, and support staff to enable its objectives to be achieved.

Guideline 5 The design, size and general state of buildings and classrooms, library, laboratories, clinical and educational facilities and their relevant equipment must allow the Programme to achieve its educational objectives. Modem audiovisual material and methods of information retrieval should be available.

Guideline 6 The number of staff and staff/student ratios must be adequate to achieve educational objectives. The qualifications and experience of the staff must be sufficient to cover adequately all of the aspects of Dental Technology and/or Clinical Dental Technology practice. Schools must provide a staff development programme for all of its staff

Guideline 7 Admission into the Programme must be based on published selection criteria, which must be available to advisors and applicants, and applied equitably during the selection process. Admissions processes must be continually evaluated to assess their effectiveness. The School must identify pathways of articulation from Programmes onto other courses of education and training offered by itself and other institutions where applicable.

Guideline 8 The aim of the curriculum should be to facilitate the education and training of Dental Technicians and/or Clinical Dental Technicians. It should produce caring professionals who are able to work within a dental team, adapt to change and continue to educate themselves throughout their careers in order to promote the health of others. Dental Technicians and Clinical Dental Technicians must be competent to practise within the DCNZ prescribed scope of dental technology or clinical dental technology practice on the day they graduate. They should be understanding of and responsive to, the oral health needs and rights of the community, eg. HDC Code of Rights. The Programme's curriculum will be assessed with reference to the educational philosophy and objectives of the Educational Institution. The curriculum must be well balanced and recognise the social context of health care, the changing patterns in the prevalence of dental disease as well as advances in the practice of dentistry. The curriculum must ensure that students develop an understanding of the importance of contemporary social issues, the principles of social justice and ethical behaviour. Particular attention must be given to the interrelationship of subjects, especially to the application of the social and the basic sciences to clinical and technical practice, so that the programme comprises a related body of knowledge rather than one of discrete and separate subjects. The accreditation process is not intended to prescribe curriculum content and the time devoted to a subject area. Given

the above statements regarding diversity and integration of subjects this would be both impracticable and contradictory. Therefore, it is the responsibility of Schools to organise their own teaching programmes which will then be judged in terms of achievement of the stated aims of the Programme rather than conformity to a standardised pattern, ie. outcome or competence based. Teaching and assessment must be designed to develop students who can assume responsibility for their own learning. Clinical and technical supervision by staff must be adequate to ensure that acceptable standards of patient care are maintained, including accurate and complete recordkeeping. Evaluation processes must be in place to ensure that acceptable standards of patient care are maintained.

Guideline 9 The Educational Institution and its clinics must be safe for students, staff and patients. The clinics must provide adequate general dental patient care in a setting conducive to education and research.

Guideline 10 At graduation, students must be capable of competent practice in a team situation. They must be provided with suitable patients and facilities during the Programme to enable them to develop this competence.

Guideline 11 A clearly stated, valid and reliable system of formative and summative student assessment must be used to determine progression and graduation of students.

Guideline 12 There must be student representation on appropriate committees, and student grievances and concerns must be identified and addressed. Counselling and health services should be available to all students.

Guideline 13 There should be integration of the Dental Technician and/or Clinical Dental Technician Programme with the BDS programme where possible so that students learn to work as members of a dental health team. Where possible students should have an opportunity to interact with students in other health education programmes to foster effective communication between disciplines.

Guideline 14 The Programme must have functional relationships with at least one District Health Board or other providers of oral health care such as community clinics. The relationship must enable students of dental technology or clinical dental technology to provide oral health care for patients appropriate to that required to achieve the educational objectives described by the provider.

Guideline 15 The Programme should have functional relationships with other departments of the Educational Institution, with the various dental professions and their organisations, and with the community in order to promote dentistry and provide learning opportunities for students.

Guideline 16 There should be a demonstrated commitment to establish research related to dental technology and/or clinical dental technology practice and oral health promotion. Where possible this research should involve students.

Guideline 17 The School must perform ongoing evaluation of the outcomes of its programmes to determine whether it is meeting its objectives. Results of the evaluation process must be used to improve the Programme.

Guideline 18 Each School must identify its own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for improvement and threats to the quality of its Programme.

Guideline 19 The educational institution must demonstrate that the principles of Mana Maori and of the Treaty of Waitangi are upheld throughout the programme.

Guideline 20 Each School must formulate strategies and a timetable for improvement of its Programme based on the selfassessment process undertaken for accreditation.

Areas for consideration

1. Overview of the Programme 2. Responses to recommendations and suggestions from the last accreditation process

3. The administrative relationship of the Programme to the School/University. 4. Programme administration and budget

5. Physical facilities and resources 6. Staff and staff development

7. Admissions policies and procedures 8. The curriculum

9. Clinic and/or laboratory administration 10. Preparation for practice

11. Student assessment and examinations 12. Student support and representation

13. Relationship with allied dental education programmes 14. Interface with other service providers

15. Interface with educational institution, profession and community 16. Research and postgraduate and continuing education

17. Evaluation procedures and outcomes 18. SWOT analysis

19 Mana Maori 20 Strategies and timetables for improvement

21 Appendices

Schools should address each of the above areas in formulating their response. It is intended that the visiting team will add its comments at the end of each of the sections and that the School's self evaluation, together with the visitors' comments, will form the final documentation. It is intended that appendices should be kept to a minimum, but that copies of relevant documentation would be available to the visiting team prior to the visits being undertaken. The questions and qualifiers provided under each of the guidelines are meant to help direct Schools' responses. Schools can use their own discretion in determining the layout of their responses, but they should use the guidelines as headings to their documentation, use at least an llpoint font and provide an electronic and hard copy of their submission.

It is intended that each member of the visiting team will have a copy of the School's responses, together with a copy of the course guide. One copy of each of the other requested documents should be available for the convenor of the visiting team to peruse.

Name of School: _____________________________________

Address Of School: _____________________________________

Name of Programme Head: _____________________________________

Telephone No: __________________

Facsimile No: __________________

Email: __________________

Name of Head/Dean _____________________________________

Telephone No: __________________

Facsimile No: __________________

Email: __________________

Name of ViceChancellor: _____________________________________

Telephone No: __________________

Facsimile No: __________________

Email: __________________

Date submitted to Joint DCNZ/ADC Accreditation Committee: ____________________

Please return to: The Registrar Dental Council of New Zealand Level 8 PO Box 10 448 WELLINGTON

1. Overview of Programme

Guideline 1 There must be a clearly defined educational philosophy for the Programme. It is recognised that diversity of teaching and learning objectives can strengthen the educational system provided that each programme continually evaluates its own methods.

Please provide an overview of the Programme to be considered for accreditation, including:

q The date when the Programme was / will be introduced q A description of the School's and/ or Programme's educational philosophy and objectives q Attach a copy of the University’s charter, school’s mission statement and strategic plan in relation to the programme being assessed.

2 Responses to recommendations and suggestions from the last accreditation process

Guideline 2 All Programmes must address the recommendations and suggestions made at previous internal or external course reviews. This is an important determinant of the process as it demonstrates a School's awareness of the need for continual improvement.

Describe how the recommendations and suggestions from other review processes have been addressed.

3. The administrative relationship of the School to the Educational Institution

Guideline 3 The Programme must exist as a distinct course of study within the Educational Institution. Students must have the same rights and privileges as other students of the Educational Institution.

Describe the administrative relationship of the Programme within the School or Educational Institution. Include as an appendix an administration flowchart.

Does the Programme have the same status and responsibility as other comparable departments/units in the School/Institution? If no, explain.

Is there equal/ appropriate representation on joint committees with representatives of other health programmes?

Do dental technology/clinical dental technology students have the same rights and privileges as other students of the Educational Institution? If no, explain.

4. Programme administration and budget

Guideline 4 The Programme must have adequate continuing financial resources, management structure and administration, and support staff to enable its objectives to be achieved.

Describe the committee structures used for the management of the Dental Technicians and Clinical Dental Technicians Programme. A flowchart may be used. Include names of staff with academic or administrative responsibilities.

Describe the decisionmaking process within the School in relation to academic and resource issues.

Do the resources available to the Dental Technicians and Clinical Dental Technicians Programme enable it to fulfil its educational objectives?

If “service” departments outside the Programme present subjects or courses, indicate how financial arrangements are negotiated for each of these subjects.

Describe additional sources of funding generated by the Programme other than educational funding.

How are the clinic operations funded?

Please provide a copy of the Programme's and/or School's strategic plan and business plan.

5. Physical facilities and resources

Guideline 5 The design, size and general state of buildings and classrooms, library, laboratories, clinical and Educational Institutions facilities and their relevant equipment must allow the Dental Technology and/or Clinical Dental Technology Programme to achieve its educational objectives. Modern audiovisual material and methods of information retrieval should be available.

Describe the facilities available for teaching and learning, eg: lecture theatres, tutorial rooms, laboratories, and clinical facilities including the number of dental units.

Describe library and computer facilities.

Are there any areas where physical facilities need to be improved in order to enhance your programme?

6. Staff and staff development

Guideline 6 The number of staff and staff/students ratios must be adequate to achieve educational objectives. The qualifications and experience of the staff must be sufficient to cover adequately all of the aspects of dental technology and/or clinical dental technology practice. Schools must provide a staff development programme for all of its staff.

Attach, as an appendix, a list of all fu1ltime, halftime and parttime academic staff within the programme, including their main teaching responsibilities.

List any current vacancies and how long they have been vacant and the plans for filling these positions.

Describe any difficulties the programme has had in recruiting suitable qualified academic staff.

Describe the School's plan for recruitment of academic staff including procedures for appointment and promotion.

What opportunities are available for staff to further their professional development?

7. Admissions policies and procedures

Guideline 7 Admission into the Programme must be based on published selection criteria, which must be available to advisors and applicants, and applied equitably during the selection process. Admissions programmes must be continually evaluated to assess their effectiveness. The School must identify pathways of articulation from Programmes onto other courses of education and training offered by itself and other institutions where applicable.

Describe the admissions process for your programme, including information about pre requisites, quotas, categories and numbers of applicants, special schemes, bridging programmes.

Describe how your admissions process is administered and evaluated.

Please provide outcomes of your evaluation if available.

Describe any appeals process relating to the admissions process.

Attach a copy of the information provided for prospective applicants.

Has the admissions process ever been changed? If so, describe how and why.

Do the admissions procedures include a clear overview of the further career pathways available?

What mechanisms are available to provide flexibility for career change?

Please detail any special entry schemes for Maori and Pacific Island students. How is this advertised?

Describe the support supplied to students entering under special entry schemes.

What is your schools policy in relation to the admission of disabled students? What support is available?

Provide numbers on the proportion of NZ residents in the Programme.

Provide numbers on the proportion of students who have English as a first language in the Programme.

Describe the policies and prerequisites for full fee paying nonresident students.

Do you accept transfer students into later years of the course? If so, describe the methods of selection and number of students accepted over the past three years.

Provide, as an appendix, a table showing the numbers of students in each year for the past three years, including gender and the numbers failing or held back.

• Describe how the Dental Technicians and Clinical Dental Technicians Programme relates with other programmes (eg. science degrees, and other programmes which might produce potential dental students or accept students who do not complete the dental programme).

What are your School’s requirements in relation to immunisation of new students against infectious diseases?

What are your schools policies in relation to students with bloodborne infectious diseases?

Describe how the Dental Technicians’ and Clinical Dental Technicians’ Programmes articulate with other programmes (such as BDS, post graduate programmes, science degrees and any other programme which educates Dental Technicians/Clinical Dental Technicians or permit transfers).

8. The Curriculum

Guideline 8 The aim of the curriculum should be to facilitate the education and training of Dental Technicians and/or Clinical Dental Technicians. It should produce caring professionals who are able to work within a dental team, adapt to change and continue to educate themselves throughout their careers in order to promote the health of others. Dental Tecnicians and Clinical Dental Technicians must be competent to practise within the DCNZ prescribed scopes of dental technology or clinical dental technology practice on the day they graduate. They should be understanding of and responsive to, the oral health needs and rights of the community, eg. HDC Code of Rights. The Programme's curriculum will be assessed with reference to the educational philosophy and objectives of the Educational Institution. The curriculum must be well balanced and recognise the social context of health care, the changing patterns in the prevalence of dental disease as well as advances in the practice of dentistry. The curriculum must ensure that students develop an understanding of the importance of contemporary social issues, the principles of social justice and ethical behaviour. Particular attention must be given to the interrelationship of subjects, especially to the application of the social and the basic sciences to clinical and technical practice, so that the programme comprises a related body of knowledge rather than one of discrete and separate subjects. The accreditation process is not intended to prescribe curriculum content and the time devoted to a subject area. Given the above statements regarding diversity and integration of subjects this would be both impracticable and contradictory. Therefore, it is the responsibility of Schools to organise their own teaching programmes which will then be judged in terms of achievement of the stated aims of the Programme rather than conformity to a standardised pattern, ie. outcome or competence based. Teaching and assessment must be designed to develop students who can assume responsibility for their own learning. Clinical supervision by staff must be adequate to ensure that acceptable standards of patient care are maintained, including accurate and complete recordkeeping. Evaluation processes must be in place to ensure that acceptable standards of patient care are maintained.

Describe how the curricula reflects the DCNZ prescribed scopes of Dental Technicians and Clinical Dental Technicians practice.

Describe the process whereby the Programme's curriculum is reviewed and how changes are implemented. What is the process within the Institution for considering changes to courses? For programmes undergoing major structural change, indicate areas of overlap between the old and new programmes.

The following list indicates those subjects/topics that might be expected to be included in a dental technology/clinical dental technology programme. They may be present with varying emphasis and may not stand alone as separate subjects. The content of these subjects should be at least at the level to support Dental Technicians and Clinical Dental Technicians practice.

For each of these subjects/topics indicate how/where they are included within the curriculum, and how they are coordinated and integrated both horizontally and vertically throughout the course. If this information is clearly presented in the course guide, then refer to the appropriate pages. In addition, indicate how students learn to provide total patient care within their scope of practice by integrating information relating to the various clinical and technical disciplines. It is recognised that School's may use different terminology to describe these subjects.

• anatomy gross and microscopic; oral anatomy • behavioural sciences, including communication; models of learning, human development and

behaviour change, social and cultural effects • bicultural issues – Hauora Maori and the Treaty of Waitangi • community oral health services . • dental diseases • dental materials • dental occlusion • emergency procedures, CPR • epidemiology • ethics and jurisprudence • general histology • general microbiology , immunology and oral pathology • general pathology • general physiology • infection control • oral biology (histology , embryology , microbiology and physiology) • oral diagnosis • research methodology , computer skills, and critical appraisal of the literature • special needs dentistry , including gerodontology , medically compromised, disabled • responsibilities in vocational practice (team dentistry, safe practice, occupational health and safety, legislation governing practice, including scopes of practice) • public health policy • patient management • laboratory management • orthodontics • partial and full prosthodontics • fixed and removable prosthodontics • implants • laboratory techniques and processes: metals, acrylics, wax, wires, plaster, etc • maxillofacial prostheses, intraoral and extraoral Copies of the course guide or handbook provided to students describing the course content should be made available to each of the members of the visiting team.

The course guide should include the name of subject coordinators, aims and objectives of subjects, topics covered, contact hours for lectures, laboratories, tutorials, clinics, etc., assessment processes, required texts and manuals, recommended reading.

List the “service” departments involved in contributing to teaching, including staff within those departments responsible for course presentation.

Provide timetables for each of the years of the course indicating clearly time commitments/student in each of the years.

Describe any elective courses offered to students.

9 Clinic Administration

Guideline 9 The educational institution and its clinics must be safe for students, staff and patients. The clinics must provide adequate general dental patient care in a setting conducive to education and research.

Describe how the dental clinics and laboratories are managed. An administrative flowchart may be used.

Please provide copies of policies and/or protocols relating to the following: q infection control q medical emergencies q eligibility of patients for treatment q assignment of patients to students q recalls q patient records q development, approval and review of patient treatment plans q technical laboratory support q waste management q occupational health and safety q auditing of patient care q clinical and technical supervision q other

Is there a shortage of patients for any clinical procedures? If so, give details.

Where do students gain their clinical experience, eg. placements outside the Programme, etc? (refer to 14 also)

Provide details of the patient group.

Do the students experience integrated treatment planning and management of patients? If so when and how?

What provisions are made for maintenance of equipment and replacement of equipment?

What measures does the programme have in place to increase student awareness of ergonomic issues and measures to prevent work related musculosketal disorders?

10 Preparation for Practice

Guideline 10 At graduation, students must be capable of competent practice in a team situation and within the DCNZ prescribed scopes of dental technology or clinical dental technology practice. They must be provided with suitable patients and facilities during the Programme to enable them to develop this competence. A designated dentist will be available to provide clinical guidance.

Do the students gain adequate experience in all areas of dental technology and/or clinical dental technology practice prior to graduation?

What experience do clinical dental technology students gain of providing care to adult patients prior to graduation?

If formal requirements are indicated to students, provide the range performed by students in each of the Programme years and to which patient groups. If there are no formal requirements, but rather guidelines, indicate average number of procedures undertaken by students in each year and ranges, ie. highest and lowest numbers. Include the competencies they are required to display as a result of clinical and technical experience.

Describe how the curriculum attempts to facilitate the integration by students of both scientific and clinical concepts. Evaluation processes and outcome results relating to this aspect of the curriculum can be given under Guideline 17.

Describe any other programmes your School offers to prepare students for practice on graduation.

Have the graduates of your Programme been surveyed about their perceptions of the quality of their training and preparation for clinical practice? If so, provide results.

Have employers of your graduates been surveyed about the quality of your graduates? If so, provide details.

11 Student assessment and examinations

Guideline 11 A clearly stated, valid and reliable system of formative and summative student assessment must be used to determine progression and graduation of students.

Describe the School's philosophy of assessment of students.

Describe the methods of assessment in each of the subject/courses (if this is clearly described in the course guide, refer to appropriate pages).

Indicate the relationship or links between the School's assessment process and its objectives and teaching approaches.

Are students encouraged to selfassess? If so, give details.

Provide details of redemption/supplementary exams.

Are any special arrangements made for repeating students?

Describe the role of external examiners. Provide copies of external examiners reports from the past two to three years.

What mechanisms are available for student appeals relating to assessment?

Does your School use special "barrier examinations" to prevent students from progressing unless a satisfactory performance is achieved? If so, in what areas and how?

Does your School provide staff and students with an assessment policy? If so, provide a copy.

Provide examples of previous exam question papers for each year level of the course.

Include, as an appendix a table showing progression rates, withdrawals, deferrals and failures for all years over the past three years.

12 Student support and representation

Guideline 12 There must be student representation on appropriate committees, and student grievances and concerns must be identified and addressed. Counselling and health services should be available to all students.

What is the nature of student representation on School committees?

How are students encouraged to join and participate in student and professional organisations?

What mechanisms are in place to ensure early contact with stress management and prevention and awareness of highrisk behaviour and symptoms of impairment?

Give details of the counselling/psychiatric treatment facilities available to students including comment on its accessibility, confidentiality and degree of separation from the School.

What role modelling and mentoring schemes are in operation? Give details.

What health services are available for students?

What financial aid provisions are there for students?

What mechanisms are in place to ensure early identification, assistance and followup of students experiencing difficulties, eg. academic, social, cultural, health etc?

How does the school deal with impaired students? e.g. drugs, alcohol, mental illness?

What remedial support is available for students, eg. study skills?

Are there specific language support programmes available for students?

What mechanisms are available to enable students to comment on their course and teaching staff?

Give details of student facilities including lockers, common room, etc.

How are students protected from discrimination?

How are students protected in the case of error or adverse outcomes?

What mechanisms are available to consider grievances from students?

13 Relationship with allied dental education programmes

Guideline 13 There should be integration of the Dental Technology and/or Clinical Dental Technology Programme with the BDS programme where possible so that students learn to work as members of a dental health team. Where possible, students should have an opportunity to interact with students in other health education programmes to foster effective communication between disciplines.

Are there any other dental education programmes in your institution? If yes, describe how they relate to the Programme.

If applicable, describe the interaction between the students in any other NZ training programme with the students in your Programme. Give details if appropriate.

How do Dental Technicians and Clinical Dental Technicians students interact with other members of the dental team throughout the course?

How do students interact with other health professionals (apart from dental students) throughout the course?

14 Interface with other service providers

Guideline 14 The Programme must have functional relationships with at least one District Health Board or other providers of oral health care such as community clinics. The relationship must enable students of dental technology or clinical dental technology to provide oral health care for patients appropriate to that required to achieve the educational objectives described by the provider.

Describe the relationship between the educational programme and the DHB. Does the relationship enable achievement of the identified educational objectives?

Are there any difficulties or areas of tension in this relationship?

Describe any other programmes that provide your students with opportunities to gain experience in hospitals or other settings.

How much time do students spend outside the educational institution and in what settings?

Describe how the educational programme interacts with local community health programmes. Provide examples.

15 Interface with the education institution, profession and community

Guideline 15 The Programme should have functional relationships with other departments of the Educational Institution, with the various dental professions and their organisations, and with the community in order to promote dentistry and provide learning opportunities for students.

Describe how the Programme interacts with other departments.

Describe how the Programme interacts with the various dental professions.

Are there any difficulties or areas of tension in these relationships?

Describe how the Programme promotes oral health promotion within the community.

Describe how the Programme interacts with Australian programme providers.

16 Research and postgraduate and continuing education

Guideline 16 There should be a demonstrated commitment to establish research related to dental technology and/or clinical dental technology practice and oral health promotion. Where possible this research should involve students.

What are the research strengths of your Programme and School?

How are students made aware of research activities in your Programme/School?

How may students become involved in research activities in your Programme/School?

What evidence is there that research activities of your Programme/School contribute to or complement the course being provided?

Has your Programme undertaken any dental education research? If so, give details.

What is the relationship between teaching staff in your Programme and research in Oral Health Sciences?

Provide a brief overview of postgraduate programmes offered and how they are linked to the dental therapy or dental hygiene courses.

Is the programme involved in running CPD programmes?

17 Evaluation procedures and outcomes

Guideline 17 The School must perform ongoing evaluation of the outcomes of its Programme to determine whether it is meeting its objectives. Results of the evaluation process must be used to improve the Programme.

Provide details of the evaluation processes used in the Programme to assess the quality of its teaching and learning, including outcome results.

Consider:

q student evaluation of individual subjects q student evaluation of the curriculum overall q student evaluation of academic staff q student evaluation of parttime tutors q staff evaluation of students q peer review of teaching (PET) q external examiners reports q course experience questionnaires (CEQs) q evaluation by graduates e.g., how wellprepared are they? q evaluation by employers of graduates q other

Does your Programme have a teaching portfolio? If so, provide a copy.

18 SWOT analysis

Guideline 18 Each School must identify its own strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement and threats to the quality of its Programme.

Include a brief discussion of current active issues in dental education in New Zealand, with particular reference to Dental Technician and Clinical Dental Technician education.

What are the perceived strengths of your Dental Technicians and/or Clinical Dental Technicians course?

What are the weaknesses?

What opportunities are presenting themselves?

What threats exist?

19 Mana Maori

Guideline 19 The educational provider must demonstrate that the principles of Mana Maori and of the Treaty of Waitangi are upheld throughout the programme.

Describe how the guideline is given effect in the recruitment and support of Maori students. Does the school, for example, employ Maori personnel skilled in supporting Maori students?

Describe the school’s relationships with local Iwi and Hapu in ways, which illustrate plans to increase Maori participation within the profession and ways to ensure cross cultural understanding.

How does the School ensure the highest rate of retention of Maori students?

Describe how the guideline is given effect in scholarship, teaching and research.

Describe how the guideline is given effect in achieving a Maori focus in the programme objectives.

Is there a role explicitly devoted to Maori dental health developments within the School?

Does the School’s strategic planning include a timetable and budget for achieving Maori focused objectives?

20 Strategies and timetables for improvement

Guideline 20 Each School must formulate strategies and a timetable for improvement of its Programme based on the selfassessment process undertaken for accreditation.

Provide details of the School's strategies for improvement of the Dental Technicians and Clinical Dental Technicians Programme, including a timetable for implementation.

21 Appendices

1. Flowchart of School’s relationship to University 2. Flowchart of administrative structure of School

3. Flowchart of committee structure of School 4. Roles and membership of committees

5. Budgets for the last three years 6. Strategic plan

7. Business plan 8. Staff – names, CVs

9. Staff documents 10. Table of student numbers

11. Information on admissions 12. Entry on curriculum in Calendar

13. Course handbooks 14. Description of courses

15. Timetables 16. Administrative flowchart of dental clinics and laboratories

17. Policies, protocols of clinic and laboratory administration 18. External examiners reports

19. Assessment policy 20. Previous examination questions

21. Progression rates, withdrawals, etc 22. Summaries of evaluations

23. Teaching portfolio

accred standards dental technicians, pdf

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