iBook on dentures gets national recognition for advancing learning

Congratulations to Dr. Tyler Verhaeghe on being the recipient of the 2017 Canadian Network for Innovation in Education (CNIE) in the Integration of Technology award.

His iBook Complete Denture Prosthodontics was recognized as being an innovative educational practice in the use of technology to support and advance learning by CNIE during a special award ceremony, May 17.

"The award was truly a surprise for me. I enjoyed the whole experience," says Verhaeghe, who collaborated with team-member and researcher Dr. Kari Rasmussen from the School of Dentistry's Educational Research & Scholarship Centre to submit the project for the award. "We won this award together. It's great to have someone like Kari who pushes you to go for it."

Verhaeghe's iBook is an interactive teaching tool that utilizes quizzes, videos, animations, and 3-D modelling to teach dentistry students and take them outside the world of textbooks. It takes them from classroom learning to the clinic.

Now working on the second edition of this iBook, Verhaeghe used Centre for Teaching and Learning and ERSF funding to offer the book to the dentistry class of 2019. Each student received an iPad with the book to use in their class. They will use the iPad when they transition to the clinic as well.

"My goal with this project was to create an applicable creative resource students will be drawn to use. We seem to be stepping away from textbooks and the feedback we're getting from students shows it's a helpful tool to increase learning," says Verhaeghe. "For me this feedback is encouraging and we're always looking to make it better."

Verhaeghe is now working on the second edition of the book and has individuals from other dental schools interested in using the book as a teaching resource. He is currently working with Dr. Steve Patterson, Dr. Hank Tan, and Aidan Rowe and Thomas Jeffery from the Faculty of Arts, and the Academic Technologies team from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.