FAQs

How can UDENTE help me as a teacher?

As a teacher you will be able to create and update courses using high quality components taken from the UDENTE repository.  It will also allow you to connect your own IT systems seamlessly to UDENTE’s contemporary tools and educational materials in addition to helping you to contribute to the convergence of high quality standards in dental education.

 

How can UDENTE help me as a student?

It will let you choose "my campus" components to customise a personal learning environment, and seamlessly access tools and services in use by your own organisation. Through UDENTE you will be able to communicate and collaborate with global communities across frontiers and boundaries and provide lifelong learning for the whole dental team.

 

Will all users of UDENTE (e.g. dentists wishing to view lectures) have to be registered with King’s College London as postgraduates?

No, each partner institution or organisation will register their own users in the usual way.

 

How is UDENTE different from a VLE (Virtual Learning Environment), also known as LMS (Learning Management System)?

UDENTE includes much more functionality than a VLE or LMS, and enhances the dental education process with additional tools such as a gradebook and electives management, amongst others.

 

What subject areas are being worked on?

The  initial e-content topics are ready for release; however these will continue to be added to in the future.  Some of the current subjects available include Dental Radiology, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Human Disease, Oral Surgery, Therapeutics, Pain Management, and Pediatric Dentistry.

 

What exactly is a "learning object"?

For the purposes of UDENTE the following definition is most pertinent: ‘small independent blocks of knowledge or interactions stored in a database that can be presented as components of instruction or reference information.’ However, there are a number of valid definitions, including "a self-contained computer-based unit of learning with a defined educational value", or “anything meaningful which promotes learning", or "breakup of content into separate resources which can then be stored and retrieved for re-use elsewhere".

 

How is a learning object different from a course?

A learning object, sometimes known as a reusable learning object (RLO), is most likely to be a "building block" or component part of a course; however the size and scope is flexible. The learning object need not have a learning objective attached, as this will be determined by the context in which it is used.

 

How is quality maintained?

Each learning object is peer reviewed at regular intervals to recognised institutional quality standards and current best practice.

 

How will quality be assigned to learning objects (e.g. image quality, version control)?

When learning objects are uploaded to the repository they must meet minimum technical standards, and include a basic set of descriptors to ensure correct identification and context. This process is supported by the use of checklists.

 

How is the repository different from a VLE?

The repository is a library of learning objects (albeit with useful search and security features), whereas the VLE or LMS includes the "packaging" elements of the student learning experience such as the tutor interface, timed release of modules and assessment tools.

 

Who will be the repository users? Where will they come from?

Teaching staff from UDENTE’s subscribing institutions, in the first instance, are the main users. Students will be able to access the repository contents via the subscribing institution. 

 

What help will I get as a contributor of learning materials?

Support is available to design and upload learning objects which fall within the project brief. The UDENTE team will agree with you what needs to be done with your material at an overview level – once you have identified the component parts of your course the UDENTE team will work with you (as needed) to format the material and decide how to present it effectively.

 

What help can I receive with developing my curriculum needs?

Many schools will already have their own curriculum, and the resources and tools in UDENTE will enhance and support this. A curriculum mapping tool is planned for Year 2 for those Schools wishing to plan a new programme of studies.

 

What is tagging?

A tag is a keyword or term that is assigned to a piece of information – in this case a learning object. This kind of metadata helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching. In the context of the repository there are several important areas of tagging which will include academic, clinical, educational, contractual, copyright and technical information.

 

How can I subscribe to UDENTE?

It’s very simple; please see the details in the Interested? section.