Seven to Receive Baccalaureates in Dental Hygiene

Ann Arbor, MI — December 4, 2009 — Seven women will be making history at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry when each receives a Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene during commencement ceremonies on Sunday, December 20, at Crisler Arena. The seven, six from Michigan and one from Illinois, will become the first to earn their degrees after successfully finishing the School’s online Degree Completion E-Learning Program.

The two-year curriculum, launched in January 2008, is the only 100 percent online learning program offered by the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor that leads to a bachelor’s degree. As part of the 36 credit hour program, all dental hygiene students worked with agencies in their communities, such as nursing homes and homeless shelters, to develop oral health education programs. They were also student teachers at local community colleges or universities and initiated capstone projects that fostered collaboration with other professionals in public health, education, diabetes-nurse education, and research.

Meeting the Needs of Students

According to Prof. Wendy Kerschbaum, director of the School’s dental hygiene curriculum, there is a critical need for the program.

“There are approximately 300 dental hygiene programs now offered around the country, mostly at community colleges. About 6,000 graduate from these programs annually, but only 16 percent receive a bachelor’s degree,” she said. Yet Kerschbaum noted that more than 70 percent of those receiving an associate’s degree or certificate are interested in further advancement and desire to pursue coursework that leads to a bachelor’s degree. However, she continued, many interested students face significant barriers, both geographical and financial.

“Most of these students are unable to travel to a college or university campus to take a course, and they also don’t want to quit their jobs,” Kerschbaum said. “Our program is designed to meet those needs. It gives them the best of both worlds — the opportunity to learn from home or other location, to keep their jobs, and to study at times that are convenient for them.”

There is also a growing need for dental hygienists with a bachelor’s degree. “The bachelor’s degree is a cornerstone requirement for dental hygienists who want to become educators. But the degree gives them other career options, such as public health and research, if that’s something they also want to do,” she added.

Before the course began, all participants came to the School of Dentistry in December 2007 and met their online classmates and dental hygiene faculty. They also learned more about U-M, the School of Dentistry, the E-Learning Program technology, and educational support resources.

“Since they would be collaborating with one another on projects and interacting with our dental hygiene faculty, we thought it was important for all the students to build their relationships with one another and their instructors before the coursework began,” said Anne Gwozdek, director of Degree Completion Programs. “That preparation paid dividends for everyone because the online program was very well received by the students and our faculty,” she said. “I think it’s fair to say that the School of Dentistry is exemplifying what it means to be ‘leaders and best’.”

International Interest

The distance e-learning program has attracted interest from other colleges and universities across the country and internationally. Last spring, the new program received worldwide attention during the annual Technology, Colleges, and Community conference that showcased how the Internet is fostering collaborative learning, social networking and best practices.

Broadcasting from a conference room at the School of Dentistry, Kerschbaum, Gwozdek, and Emily Springfield, an instructional designer at the School, shared their knowledge and experiences in developing the program with participants in U.S., Canada, England, and dozens of other locations worldwide.

For more information about the School of Dentistry’s Degree Completion E-Learning Program, visit www.dent.umich.edu/dentalhygiene/education/dc or call (734) 763-6933 weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Contact: Sharon Grayden, Communications Director (734) 615-2600, dentistry.communications@umich.edu, or Jerry Mastey, Editor, School of Dentistry (734) 615-1971, jmastey@umich.edu.