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Updated: Mar 6, 2026
A Postoperative Evaluation Guideline for Computer-Assisted Reconstruction of the Mandible
Published on: January 28, 2020
Structured evaluation and need-based restructuring of the cranio-maxillofacial surgery module within surgical
Sebastian Herbert Hoefer1, Jasmina Sterz2, Bernd Bender2
1Department of Oral, Cranio-Maxillofacial, and Facial Plastic Surgery (Head: Prof. Dr. Dr. R. Sader), University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany.
Background:
Evaluations are important for teaching courses and contribute to educational quality assurance. CMF surgery provides a module in the skills-lab week in preparation for surgical clerkship. Even though the CMF module receives positive evaluations, the students report deviating content. Subsequently, exams skills were often not mastered correctly. The aim of this study is to gather the contents taught within the course and to revise the module accordingly.
Methods:
A structured evaluation sheet was used to evaluate the CMF modules. The detailed time frame used, teaching methods integrated, and learning objectives taught were documented. Based on the results, the module was restructured and re-evaluated twice.
Results:
There were substantial fluctuations among the taught learning objectives in the first evaluation (21%-47% of the objectives were totally covered). The deployed time (160.50 ± 32.55 min) for the module was much shorter than scheduled (210 min). After restructuring, more learning objectives were totally covered (44%-100%), which corresponds to a significant gain (p = .024). The deployed teaching time for the modules was used more efficiently (183.65 ± 21.10 min/p = .005), and the additional time (51.89 ± 21.23 min vs. 37.55 ± 16.06 min before/p = .011) was used mainly for practical exercises.
Conclusion:
Structured evaluations are a meaningful tool for gaining valuable insights regarding the contents and quality of teaching courses and pinpointing potential for improvement. Key factors for the improvement of an educational module are the definition of learning goals within the context of a transparent and structured module.
