Anticipated and Actual Implementation of Case-Based Learning by Dental Faculty Members During and After Training

The aims of this study were to describe the processes used to train dental faculty members in case-based learning (CBL) and to determine their beliefs about the anticipated implementation of CBL and perceptions of actual implementation following use of the CBL approach. Participants were dental faculty members at the University of Florida who received a four-day intensive training course in the use of CBL. Two focus groups were conducted. The first occurred during training to assess how the participants anticipated using CBL. The second was conducted during the faculty members' implementation of CBL. All 19 trainees participated in focus group 1 (100%). During the course of the study, two faculty members left the school; of the remaining 17, 12 participated in focus group 2 (participation rate of 71%). The findings showed that initially the faculty members were hesitant and uncertain about using CBL. Following implementation, those issues dissipated, as the participants began to consider how to optimize the effectiveness of CBL as a legitimate method for fostering student ownership of learning and active participation. Understanding what CBL means for individual educators at varying stages of change will likely allow the dental education community to better anticipate and address tensions and challenges that faculty members are likely to experience.