Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
Published on: September 11, 2021
Do tutor expertise and experience influence student performance in a problem-based curriculum?
Sang E Park1, Srinivas M Susarla, Cheri K Cox
1Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. sang_park@hsdm.harvard.edu
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between student performance and tutor expertise and experience in the Restorative Treatment course in a problem-based learning (PBL) dental curriculum. This retrospective study evaluated a cohort of 206 third-year dental students at Harvard School of Dental Medicine who were enrolled in the Restorative Treatment course between 2000 and 2005. Tutor expertise in prosthodontics and prior tutoring experience were measured against student performance in five areas: 1) tutorial session, 2) midterm examination, 3) final examination, 4) preclinical laboratory, and 5) overall cumulative course grade. Student performance in each of the five areas measured against combinations of tutor subject matter expertise and tutoring experience level showed no statistically significant difference between the groups in the overall course grade. However, student performance in the expert group showed a significant difference in the final examination compared to the nonexpert group (p<0.05). Also, students in the group consisting of expert tutors with no experience performed better on the final examination compared to those students who had expert tutors with experience (p<0.05). The results indicate that overall student performance in the problem-based Restorative Treatment course is not affected by tutor expertise or prior tutoring experience.
Related Concept Videos
Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data from the...
Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning, patient...
Purposive Learning
Comparing Experimental Results: Student's t-Test
