WebCATs

For

Course Directors

INDEX

Introduction...................................................................................... p. 3

Logging on to WebCATs.................................................................. p. 4

General Navigational Notes.............................................................. p. 6

COURSE SCREENS

Basic Information............................................................................. p. 9

Contact Hours................................................................................. p. 10

Evaluation Methods Overview........................................................ p. 12

Examinations................................................................................... p. 13

External Validation – Overview...................................................... p. 15

Linking Your Course to Competencies........................................... p. 16

Goals................................................................................................ p. 17

Instructional Media......................................................................... p. 20

Integration Levels............................................................................ p. 21

Learning Behaviors......................................................................... p. 22

Learning Resources......................................................................... p. 27

Outcomes........................................................................................ p. 29

Participating Faculty List................................................................ p. 31

Policy and Procedures.................................................................... p. 32

Problem Based Learning................................................................ p. 33

Purpose............................................................................................ p. 34

SESSION SCREENS

Sessions Overview........................................................................... p. 36

Sessions Attributes.......................................................................... p. 39

Instructional Media......................................................................... p. 40

Keywords – An Overview................................................................. p. 41

Keywords – Instructions for Adding............................................... p. 44

Outcomes........................................................................................ p. 47

Session Content............................................................................... p. 49

Session Details................................................................................. p. 50

C

ongratulations! You are about to use a sophisticated Web technology to enter and modify your curriculum data. WebCATs provides you with an easy way to access and update information on the courses that you teach. This will help you eliminate much of the paperwork associated with the updating and generation of course syllabi, and also provides you with an easy way to check on your course data and see how it relates to other material covered in the curriculum.

The AADS Curriculum Database Consortium (CDC) was founded at the March 1990 annual session of the American Association of Dental Schools in response to the desires of a special interest group consisting of Academic Deans and Curriculum Coordinators. This special interest group now includes forty-seven dental schools and 12 allied dental programs in three countries.

One of the strengths of CATs is the clarity of focus it offers to course directors. Although the first time through the data entry process is quite demanding, in subsequent years the process should be quite simple, as it will be limited to recording only the changes that have been made since the previous year’s submission. A course syllabus can be generated and downloaded to your computer in a matter of minutes. Our goal is to eliminate the word processing copy of syllabi in favor of simply keeping one good record of each course on CATs. This shift will save a great deal of ‘double-entry’ time.

CATs also contains many features which facilitate the creation of reports describing our curriculum database. These report writing components include:

· A general report writer from which reports and graphs on most components of the database can be generated.

· A concept/keyword reporter.

· A Competency reporter.

· A syllabus exporter that allows you to generate your syllabus and output it to your word processor or in the form of an HTML document for use on the web.

· An interactive graphical “drill-down” tool that provides an instant visual analysis of the database.

· The automatic generation of the biannual ADA Curriculum Report.

LOGGING ON TO WEBCATS

1. Access the WebCATs homepage using your web browser.

2. A sign-in window will appear. In the User Name space type in your first and last name (using upper and lower case—ex. Ronald Dailey).

3. Your initial password is your last name (using upper and lower case).

4. Click on the “Access WebCATs for Course Directors” button (hitting “Enter” will not work at this screen).

5. A list of the courses assigned to you will appear. If no courses appear, or if a course director is changed in your department, please inform your database manager.

6. Also at this window in the upper right corner is a link if you want to change your password. If your secretary or anyone else in the department needs access to your course information, please be sure to let them know your new password.

Explanation of Screen Components:

Course Number and Name: The name and number assigned to the course.

Dir Signoff: The percentage of data that is signed off (approved) by the course director (you).

DBM Signoff: The percentage of data that has been signed off (approved) by the CATs database manager.

Both: The percentage of data signed off by the course director and the database manager.

Total Sessions: This field shows the total number of sessions that exist in the database for this course.

7. Logging Out of WebCATs: There is no formal method for logging out of WebCATs. We do recommend, however, that you either close your Web browser or move to a different web site so that WebCATs does not remain open on your desktop. Just enter a new web site address in your Web browser, or exit out of your browser, and you will move out of the WebCATs data directories. This will ensure that no one gains access to your curriculum data.

8.

Link

To view or modify the data for any course that appears in your list of courses, click on the Course Name. A list of the course attributes (characteristics) will appear (see screen below). This includes "Basic Information", "Contact Hours", "Evaluation Methods Overview", etc. After clicking on any one of these attributes, a new screen will show you the information entered for that area. You may edit this information, or if none is entered, you may begin entering your course information.

General Navigational Notes:

· To access any course attribute shown, click on the link for its name (see picture above). Enter any new information, then click on Save to save your new changes. If you should enter new data and decide that you do not want to keep your changes, click on Refresh. Your old data values will return, but only if you click on Refresh before you click on Save.

· Return to the list of course attributes by selecting the Attribute List link. Return to your complete list of courses and sessions by clicking on the Main Page link.

· Whenever you save data, you will see a message that confirms that the data was saved. Click on OK to continue working.

· You can reorder a list by clicking on any column header that is underlined in the list. Doing so will reorder the list in alphabetical or numeric order, depending on the type of data contained in that field.

· Course directors are required to sign off on all data entered for their course. This can be done in two ways.

1. For those attributes for which you can enter multiple records, such as Goals or Outcomes, click in the Dir signoff box in the Signoff Status table from within any individual record, then click Save. In doing so, you sign off on all records for the attribute.

2. For every attribute, regardless of the number of records, you can select the Dir check box from the Signoff grid on the attribute’s main page, then click on Update Signoff Status. (This grid is located on the list screen of those attributes that permit entry of more than one record.)

When you sign off an attribute, WebCATs automatically enters the date. When you return to the Attribute List link, a check mark will appear in the Dir Signoff column for that attribute.

As you sign off on the attributes at the course level, WebCATs keeps track of the level of signoff. You can see the percentage of information signed off at the course level by viewing the Dir and DBM Signoff columns on your Main Page. This provides you with an easy way to see which courses and sessions are complete and also view those that still require your signoff.

COURSES

SCREENS

(Screens Related to Your Course Overall)
Basic Information Screen

In the setup stage of CATs, your baseline Course data was entered. This screen shows your course number and name, the course director and department through which the course is offered, the designation (basic science, clinical science, behavioral science), the type of course (required/elective), the credit hours, the starting and ending year and quarter, and the website URL.

Please review the information contained in this screen for accuracy. If you encounter any errors or wish to change any information, please contact your database manager.

Return to the attribute list for this course by choosing the Attribute List link. To return to your list of courses, select the Main Page link.

Contact Hours

In the Contact Hours screen, the course director enters the number of hours spent in contact with the class in various settings (contact hours), and the number of hours which the course director anticipates that students will spend working on external activities related to the course (non-contact hours).

Enter a value in the Contact Hours column for each setting that applies to the course. In doing so, you activate the data entry screens for each setting, (so do not skip this step.)

The Total fields for each column automatically sum up the numbers you enter. The Total Contact Hours should not exceed the number of clock hours that this course has been assigned in your school’s curriculum.

Explanation of Contact Distribution Screen Components

Contact Hours: For each setting that will be included in your course, you may enter a value that represents the anticipated amount of time that the course director will spend in direct contact with students.

Non-Contact Hours: For each setting, you may enter a figure that represents the anticipated amount of time that students are expected to spend in preparation for Course activities, apart from time spent in contact with instructors.

Large Group Didactic: The Large Group Didactic setting involves one teacher speaking and many students listening, with some minor variations.

Small Group Didactic: This setting involves the breaking of students into groups of approximately 3-10 people. Some students may supervise others’ activities.

Basic Science Lab: This involves the total number of scheduled student contact hours devoted to basic science laboratory instruction.

Pre-Clinical Lab: This involves the total number of scheduled student contact hours in which students learn and practice dental procedures in preparation for the clinic setting.

Clinic: This involves the total number of scheduled student contact hours assigned to clinical instruction for your course.

Rotation/Clerkship: This represents the setting in which students practice at an off-site location.

Computer Based Training: This represents instruction that includes the learning or use of a computer program, including the number of contact and non-contact hours anticipated for such an activity.

External Assignments: This represents the expected amount of time students are expected to spend on assignments outside of the course (non-contact hours). An assignment may be a homework assignment, a term paper, or other extra-class assignments.

Independent Study: If students will have opportunities to engage in extra activities on their own time, enter figures for the amount of time such activities will take to complete.

Problem-Based Cases: This setting may be used to describe learning that involves the study of patient or community-based cases.

Examinations: This setting is used to record contact and non-contact hours related to examinations.

Other Hours: This setting is used to record contact and non-contact hours in any area not described above.

Total Hours: This field displays the total number of scheduled student contact and projected non-contact hours assigned to this course.

Evaluation Methods Overview Screen

This screen describes the ways in which you evaluate student performance in the course. Entries are made as percentages and the sum of all methods must equal 100%.

Type in the appropriate percentage for the methods you will use to evaluate your students in this course. Your total must equal 100% or you will not be able to save the record. All evaluation terms on this screen should be self-explanatory except for the clinical judgment exam. Include a percentage for this section if your course grade includes the completion of a competency examination.

Examinations

Use the Examinations screens to describe each Exam you will give throughout the course. You may also include quizzes in this section. To add a new exam, click on the New Exam link and fill in the fields on the screen.

Once an exam record has been created, you can enter information about the types of questions that will be on the exam.

1. Click on the Exam Title in the Exam List.

2. Use the View/Edit Question Format link to indicate the types of questions that will appear on the exam. Your total must equal 100%.

3. Click on Save to save the question format information. Click OK when the program informs you that your changes have been saved.

4. Click on Back to Exam List to return to the master list of examinations.

To change the information in an examination that already exists, click on the Exam Title. Make your changes, and select Add to save the updated record. You will be returned to the master list of examinations.

To delete an Exam, select it from the master list of examinations. Click on the Delete button, and confirm the deletion. When the master list of Exams appears, it will be properly reordered.

You may also reorder your list of exams at any time.

1. From the Exam List, click on the Reorder link.

2. In the Reorder screen that opens, use the boxes in the Order column to enter the numeric order in which you want the records to appear. Make sure that each record has a unique Order value.

3. Click on Save. When you see the message, “The new order has been saved,” click OK. The records will appear in the new order.

4. You can also reorder the list by clicking on any column header that is underlined in the list. Doing so will reorder the list in alphabetical or numeric order, depending on the type of data contained in that field.

Competencies

(Validation with School Competencies and Accreditation Standards)

Overview

The linking of curriculum data to external measures of validation is an important component of curriculum management. By linking curriculum data with recognized external standards, we move away from “what we say we do” toward “proving what we say we do”. Through the linking of curriculum data with external standards, you will be able to pinpoint exactly the points in your course that meet certain standards, such as accreditation standards or school competencies.

Linking Your Course to Competencies

When you access the Competencies screen, a list containing the Competencies will appear.

Down the left side of the list are RVU (Relative Value Unit) boxes, where you assign a value of 1 to 5 (1=lowest; 5=highest) to describe how high a priority each competency or standard is in your course. Only identify RVUs for each standard or competency addressed in your course. You do not need to give a value to competencies you do not address.

Goals

Goals break the Course Purpose into more specific statements, while remaining broad. In CATs, Goals describes your objectives as a teacher. In most Courses, one would expect five to eight goals. Verbs used in each goal statement often include those which are somewhat broad, such as “Introduce students to…” and “Demonstrate the method for…”

Each goal title must be unique. The main purpose of such titles will be to remind the Course Director about the content of each goal when entering other data. Another purpose of the goal title is to provide a concise indicator of the goal when used on curriculum analysis printouts.

Add New Goals: To create a new goal, click on the New Goal link.

Enter a Goal Title, the Goal Description, and a Relative Value Unit (RVU) for the goal. The signoff check box for goals provides global signoff of all goals for this course. If you want to sign off on all goals for this course at this time, click in the Dir check box.

Click on Add to save your changes. When the program informs you that the goal has been added, click OK. The program will place you at the list of Goals for the course.

Goal Number and Title: As you enter goals, a number will be assigned to each one. This number is not related to the importance of the goal in a course. A title is limited to 60 characters.

Goal Description: Enter a brief description for this goal. Use a new screen for each goal.

RVU: There are many elements in this database that are quantified according to the relative amount of importance that they are accorded. In order to offer a simple measure of such differences in importance or strength of association throughout the program, a Relative Value Unit or RVU is indicated. Enter an RVU to indicate the importance of each goal in relation to other goals. Select a relative value unit from 1 to 5; 1 being least important, 5 being very high in importance. The completion of RVUs for Goals is optional.

Modify Goal Data: To change the information in a goal that already exists, select the Goal Title. Make your changes and select Save. (To revert the goal information to its original values, click Refresh before you click Save.) After you click Save, you will be returned to the master list of goals.

Delete Goals: To delete a Goal, click on the Goal Title. Click on the Delete button and confirm the deletion. When the message appears telling you that the Goal has been deleted, click OK. The master list of Goals will appear and should be properly reordered, omitting the deleted Goal.

Reorder the List of Goals: From the Goal List, click on the Reorder Goal link. In the Reorder screen that opens, use the boxes in the Order column to enter the numeric order in which you want the records to appear. Make sure that each record has a unique Order value.

Click on Save. When you see the message that the new order has been saved, click OK. The records will appear in the new order. You can also reorder the list by clicking on any column header that is underlined in the list. Doing so will reorder the list in alphabetical or numeric order, based on the type of data in the column.

Instructional Media

In this screen, you enter percentages to represent the types of media that you plan to use in teaching this course. Your total must equal 100% or you will not be able to save the record.

· Handouts/Manuals: If there are classroom handouts, class notes, or a course syllabus used during each class, enter the percentage of the total media used that is represented by handouts and manuals.

· Chalk/Markerboard: If the course director draws or writes on a chalkboard or markerboard, enter the percentage that this media represents out of the total media used.

· Overhead Transparencies: This refers to transparent, page-size slides placed on an overhead projector.

· Models: If the instructor uses models during this course, enter a value for its percentage of use as compared to the total media used.

· Movie/Video: Enter the percentage of all media used that is represented by the use of movies or videotapes.

· Computer Presentation: If the teaching of your course involves the use of computerized presentation methods, such as data projectors, enter the percentage of total media represented by the use of computer presentation techniques.

· Live or Live TV Demonstration: If the teaching of your course involves use of demonstrations (either live or with the aid of TV) then enter a percentage value.

· Other: If other forms of instructional media that are not listed on this screen are used, enter their percentage of use in this field.

· None: If no instructional media are used, enter a value of 100% in this field.

·

Current Percent Entered: As you enter percentage figures in the various media fields, the current percentage entered will tabulate in this field. The total of the percentage figures entered should eventually equal 100%.

Integration Levels

The Integration Index can be used to describe the extent to which a Course spans “one” versus “multiple” disciplines. The Integration Index identifies three levels of integration: 1) single discipline, 2) multiple similar disciplines, or 3) multiple cross disciplines as shown below. The following are examples used in Dental Schools:

Single Discipline:

Basic Science (e.g. biology, chemistry, anatomy)

Bridge Science (e.g. biochemistry)

Dental Science (e.g. endodontics)

Behavioral/Management Science (e.g. practice management)

Multiple Similar Disciplines:

Basis-Basic

Bridge-Bridge

Dental-Dental

Behavioral/Management-Behavioral/Management

Multiple Cross Disciplines:

Basic-Bridge

Basic-Dental

Basic-Behavioral/Management

Bridge-Dental

Bridge-Behavioral/Management

Dental-Behavioral/Management

Completing the Integration Levels screens will allow the analysis of the degree to which Courses and/or Sessions are being taught in a cross-disciplinary fashion.

Learning Behaviors

The Learning Behavior Index examines the type of learning behaviors that are expected of students in each Course. A detailed explanation of each category can be found on the following pages.

The Learning Behavior Index is based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, which includes three common categories, or “domains”, of learning behavior. They are cognitive, psychomotor, and affective, meaning mind, hands, and heart. All of these domains are important characteristics to be “learned” as part of any professional curriculum (description is on next page). We have also added a fourth domain in an attempt to identify several other “general” classroom, or instructional setting activities which can occur.

Type in the appropriate percentage for the Learning Behaviors that you expect students to exhibit throughout this course. Your total must equal 100% or you will not be able to save the record. Click in the Dir check box to sign off on Learning Behaviors for this course. If you do not want to save the data you entered, click on Refresh. All fields will return to their previous values. Click on Save to save the information. When you see the message that your changes have been saved, click OK.

Cognitive Domain

The following categories – Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, and Reasoning – represent four levels of the cognitive domain of learning behaviors used in the CATs Learning Behavior Index. The full six level taxonomy of the cognitive domain has been credited to Bloom and consists of Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. For our application, we have chosen to collapse the last three levels into a single level called “Reasoning”.

Knowledge

This is the most basic form of cognition. Essentially, if shown, if asked, if led, the student is expected to respond.

Examples include: Recognize Listen

Read Watch

Write

Comprehension (Recall)

This is the second level of the Cognitive learning behavior. If called upon, the student is expected to recall and describe or discuss previously learned information. In general, the learner is more active than expected at the “knowledge” level of cognition.

Examples of appropriate verbs that describe “comprehension” behaviors include:

Recall Explain

Describe Present

Discuss

Application

This is the third level of Cognitive learning behavior. If called upon, the student is expected to apply previously learned information in varied settings. The learner, and therefore the learning, must be very active in order to demonstrate this level of cognition.

Examples of appropriate verbs that describe “application” behaviors include:

Adapt

Design

Interpret

Reasoning

This is actually a collapsing of the fourth (Analysis), fifth (Synthesis), and sixth (Evaluation) levels of cognition. If called upon, the student is expected to create new connections from previously known information. The learner, and therefore the learning, must be very reflective in order to demonstrate this level of cognition.

Examples of appropriate verbs that describe “reasoning” behaviors include:

Analyze Synthesize Test

Explore Create Judge

Compare Evaluate Solve

Plan Assess

Psychomotor Domain

The next four items that the Learning Behavior Index describes are the four levels of the Psychomotor domain and include: Development, Practice, Competency, and Proficiency.

Development

This is the first level of the Psychomotor domain, in which the student learns by copying others and from limited experimentation.

Examples of appropriate verbs that describe “development” behaviors include:

Guided development

Imitation

Supervised trial and error (with frequent feedback)

Learning step-by-step

Practice

This is the second level of the Psychomotor domain. Essentially, the student has learned the basics and is now learning by repetition.

Examples of appropriate verbs that describe “practice” behaviors include:

Habituation

Going through all the steps at once (with minimal feedback)

Gaining confidence

Competency

This is the third level of the Psychomotor domain. The student has mastered basic skills and is now learning on his/her own by applying previously learned skills to new settings.

Examples of appropriate phrases that describe “competency” behaviors include:

Skill achieved

Independent performance

Quality virtually assured

Perform complex task with no hesitation

Attempts to fit skills to new situations

Proficiency

This is the fourth, and final, level of the Psychomotor domain. Essentially, the student is competent and is now adding style and/or artistic value along with efficiency.

Examples of appropriate phrases that describe “proficiency” behaviors include:

Competency has been achieved

Focus is now on productivity, efficiency, speed, or smoothness

Affective Domain

The next three items describe the three levels of the Affective Domain we have chosen to include in our application. These levels include: Receiving/Responding, Valuing/Organizing, and Commitment.

Receiving/Responding

This is the first level of the Affective domain. The student can recognize and discuss professionally acceptable behavior.

Examples of appropriate verbs that describe “receiving/responding” behaviors include:

Awareness

Receptivity

Acknowledgment of professional attitudes and behaviors

Or

Assisting

Selecting

Presenting professional attitudes and behaviors

Valuing/Organizing

This is the second level of the Affective domain. The student can act (in addition to recognize and discuss) in a professionally-acceptable manner and, indeed, goes out of his or her way to do so.

Examples of appropriate verbs that describe “valuing/organizing” behaviors include:

Completing Explaining

Initiating Altering

Arranging

Integrating such attitudes and behaviors into their student/student, student/patient, and student/professor encounters.

Commitment

This is the third, and final, level of the CATs version of the Affective domain. The student now believes in the appropriateness of professional behavior and goes out of his/her way to encourage others to develop similar values and behaviors.

Examples of appropriate verbs that describe “commitment” behaviors include:

Proposing Questioning Others

Solving Verifying

Consistently displaying professional attitudes and behaviors

General Domain

This is the fourth domain in the Learning Behaviors index. The General domain includes three behaviors: Preparation, Teaching/Assisting Colleagues, and Dissociative Activities.

Preparation

Preparation is the first learning behavior in the General domain. It describes behavior that includes organization of groups, documentation, instruments, materials, etc. in preparation for class, lab, or clinic.

Teaching/Assisting Colleagues

This is the second learning behavior associated with the General domain, which includes such behaviors as planning or scheduling peer teaching time.

Dissociative Activities

This is the third of the General learning behaviors. It includes such behaviors as doing pressing work from other Courses, waiting for instructors, and leaving early.

Learning Resources

Learning resources are such items as textbooks, journals, or articles from which Course material may be drawn. CATs manages the entry of two types of learning resources: primary learning resources and supplementary learning resources. Primary learning resources are those that are required; supplementary learning resources are recommended but not required. A detailed description can be found on the following page.

To add a new resource, click on the New Resource link. Enter the data for the learning resource. Click on Add to save your changes.

To modify information on a resource, click on the Resource Title. Make your changes, and select Save to save the updated record.

To delete a resource, select it from the master list. Click on the Delete button, and confirm the deletion.

To reorder the list of resources, click on the Reorder link. In the Reorder screen, use the boxes in the Order column to enter the new order in which you want the records to appear. Be sure that you enter a unique value in each box. Click on Save. The records will appear in the new order.

Designation: A resource may be designated as either primary or supplementary, as described above.

Type: Typical resource types include books, journals, and handouts. Select the most appropriate type from the pick list.

Pages Assigned: This 4-character entry identifies the total number of assigned pages from journal articles, departmental handouts, and books (combining all assignments in a given book or resource).

Resource Title: This entry identifies the title of the article, book, or media type in question.

Author 1 and 2: Enter the name(s) of the primary and secondary authors of the learning resource.

Journal Name: If the resource is a journal, enter its name in this field.

Publisher: Enter the name of the resource publisher.

City, Country: This 60-character entry identifies the primary city and country of the publishing house of the book or media. (Journal article entries need not use this field.)

Resource #: As you enter a record for each resource, this number automatically increments. This field may not be directly edited.

Other Authors: This identifies whether or not there are more than two authors of the learning resource.

Year Published: This four-digit number identifies the year in which the resource was published.

Edition/Version#: This identifies the edition number or version number of the resource, should there be one assigned.

Volume: This number identifies the volume in which the journal article in question was published.

Number: If you entered a Volume number, you may also enter a value to represent the publication status in a series.

Pages Assigned: If the resource is one made of paper, you may enter the total number of pages assigned to students.

Hours (Clock Hours): This field enables the entry of the amount of time that a student might be expected to study a given instructional resource. It is not required for print media, since ‘number of pages’ provides an estimate of effort expected of those learning resources.

Notes: You may enter comments on a given learning resource in this text field.

Outcomes

Outcomes refer to student-oriented objectives (where Goals are instructor-based). Outcomes usually correlate to course goals. Some common phrases used in Outcomes include: “Students shall demonstrate knowledge of…” and “Students shall gain an understanding of…”

Student Outcomes should reflect some action or indication of knowledge that the student is expected to exhibit as a result of completing the course.

To create a new record, click on the New Outcome link. Enter an Outcome Title, Outcome Description, and RVU for the Outcome. To sign off on this Outcome, click in the Dir check box. Click on Add to save your changes

To Modify an existing outcome, click on the link for the Outcome Title. Make your changes, and select Save to save the updated record. When the program tells you that the changes have been saved, click OK. You will be returned to the master list of Outcomes.

To Delete an Outcome, select its title from the master list. Click on the Delete button, and confirm the deletion. When the master list of Outcomes appears, it will be properly reordered.

Outcome Number: Each outcome is assigned a number that is automatically incremented when a new outcome is entered.

Outcome Title: Enter the title of each student outcome. This title will be routinely displayed on all reports in which course outcomes are described (all courses in a department, or year, or across school).

Outcome RVU: Each Student Outcome must be assigned a Relative Value Unit (RVU). This unit is a number from 1 to 5 that designates the relative value or importance of this student outcome when compared to the other outcomes in this unit. Select a relative value unit from 1 to 5; 1 being least important, 5 being very high in importance.

Competencies: To link Outcomes with Competencies, click here. You will be able to select the competencies associated with each outcome.

Participating Faculty List

This screen allows you to select from a list of faculty the individual responsible for a course, and for each session within a course. The list includes all faculty in the faculty database identified as course directors. To select a faculty member who participates in your course, simply click on the box next to that person’s name.

Names of individual lecturers or other faculty may be added at any time by calling your database manager. In addition, if a course director is changed, please notify the database manager to have the database updated.

This screen takes several seconds to load. Once the list of faculty members is onscreen, a list of the names of faculty members who are currently selected as participating in this course is shown at the top of the screen in blue text. Selected faculty names appear in green text. Faculty members who are not selected appear in red text.

To select a faculty member as participating in the course, click in the check box to the left of his or her name. To unselect a faculty member, click in the box so that the ‘4’ disappears.

To sign off on the Participating Faculty list, click in the Dir box in the Signoff Status section of the screen.

Policy and Procedures

One of the most important features of CATs is its ability to generate syllabi. Course directors can use the Policy and Procedures screen for general data that is to be included in a syllabus. This policy and procedure statement can contain information such as grading policies, expected level of participation, opportunities to earn special credit, and the “do’s and don’ts” of a course.

Problem-Based Learning

If your course includes a PBL component, this screen enables you to enter the PBL case name, author, number of groups working on the case, a case description, the actual case, and a tutor guide.

To create a new record, click on the New PBL link. Enter data in appropriate fields. To sign off on this PBL Case, click in the Dir check box. If you want to save your data, click on Add. When the program indicates that the case has been saved, click OK. The program will place you at the list of PBL Cases for the course. If you decide that you do not want to save this case, then click on Cancel. The PBL Case will not be added to the course.

To change the information on a Case that already exists, click on the Case Name from the PBL List. Enter the new information for the Case. To save your changes, select Save. You will be returned to the master list of PBL Cases. If you do not want to save your changes, and would prefer to keep the original values instead, click Refresh instead of Save. The data will revert back to its original values.

To delete a Case, select the Case Name from the master list of PBL Cases. Click on the Delete button, and confirm the deletion. When the master list of PBL Cases appears, it will be properly reordered.

Purpose

Each course may have a general statement of its purpose in the curriculum. This Purpose should be a short paragraph that describes a course to those who are unfamiliar with its content. This broad statement of purpose refers to the unit’s contribution and sequence within the overall curriculum and its rationale for inclusion. It should provide a general statement of the benefit of the Course to students.

To enter a course purpose, select the Purpose link from the list of Attributes. Type in the Purpose. Sign off on the Purpose by clicking in the box labeled Dir in the Signoff area of the screen. Click on Save to save the record.

To modify a Purpose, highlight any text that you wish to delete, then either type over the highlighted text or delete it. Click on Save to save your changes.

SESSION

SCREENS

(Screens Related to Individual Lecture or Lab Periods Within Your Course)

Sessions

Session data is used to describe each organized gathering of students (class, lab, exam, etc.) that occurs within a course. You may access your sessions at the course listing screen that appears when you first log on to WebCATs. To the right of your course title you will see a column for the number of sessions in your course (see picture below). At this point the number in the column will be zero. Click on the zero to bring up the session list for your course. You may now add a new session to the list by clicking on “New Session”.

The procedures for entry and modification of session data are similar to those at the course level. Many of the attributes are the same, so most of the screens will appear familiar.

NOTE

You may use the Sessions screen to enter data about each individual session, or a series of similar sessions whose descriptions would result in the entry of redundant data. For example, if describing a series of amalgam labs, you may enter each one individually, or you may describe the series in one screen. Enter the date of the first lab, and the date of the last lab, the total length in minutes of the labs combined, and the number of labs (# rep sess) included in the series.

To add a new session to a course, click on the New Session link. From the next page that appears, select the link labeled Click here to edit the Basic Information for the New Session. Enter the Basic Information for the session, then click on Save. Click on OK when a confirmation message tells you that the session was added. Now click on the Attribute List link. You will see a list of all of the attributes for the session. Click on any attribute link to enter data for that attribute.

Session Number: As you enter sessions into the database, they are assigned a number that automatically increments.

Session Title: You may enter up to 60 characters as a title for the session. This title will be routinely displayed on all analytical reports in which the sessions for this course are described. Titles should be reasonably brief, and reflect the main focus of the session.

Setting Type: The setting describes the place where the session occurs. The choices are: large group didactic, small group didactic, basic science lab, pre-clinical lab, problem based learning, and examinations. This list is driven by the data entered at the Contact Distribution screen. Each of these settings will appear only if you entered contact or non-contact hours for that setting.

Responsible Faculty: Select the faculty member responsible for this session.

Guest: If a guest speaker is invited to this session, enter his/her name in this field.

Begin Date: Enter the date that the session starts.

End Date: Enter the date that the session ends. This will be the same as the start date, unless you are describing a series of similar sessions in one screen. See # Rep Sess below for more information on this.

Time (Minutes): Enter the length of the session in minutes. If you are describing a series of multiple sessions, then enter the total length in minutes of all of the sessions combined.

# Rep Sess (number of repetitive sessions): You may use the Session screen to describe one individual session, or a series of similar sessions. If you are describing a single Session, then enter the number 1 in this field. If you are describing a series of similar Sessions, enter the total number of sessions being described.

Web Site URL: Enter the URL (web address) for the web site where your class material is stored. When a course syllabus is exported from CATs, the course URL will appear on the syllabus.

Session Attributes

As with Courses, each session in a course may have one or more attributes that will further describe that session.

Instructional Media

Just as you can enter the breakdown of the types of media used overall within a course, you may also enter the breakdown of media types used within one session. When completed, the Current % Entered field should equal 100%.

Keywords – An Overview

(Although this sounds boring, it is fundamental in the use of this database. PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY.)

Overview

One of the most powerful features of CATs is its keyword (concept) interface. The keyword feature provides the ability to manage and analyze keywords that describe curriculum content. It also provides a means for identifying both redundant and missing content (material addressed in the School competencies and/or accreditation standards but not included in the curriculum). Currently, the CATs keyword database contains over 50,000 dental-related terms mapped into 38 Domains and approximately 500 Topics.

Origins of the Concept (Keyword) Database

The Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) developed by the National Library for Medicine (NLM) served as the foundation of the CATs “controlled vocabulary” of concepts. The UMLS database consists of over 500,000 dental/medical terms. The CATs development group extracted dental-related terms from the UMLS database by designing a special filter that placed keywords into a Consortium-based Taxonomy. Consortium members also collected keywords using previous versions of CATs, and the combination of their keywords plus those filtered from UMLS created the current CATs keyword database.

The framework used to organize keywords is explained below:

A keyword has a Core Concept. This represents the preferred form of the term.

Ex: Core Concept: Periapical granuloma

A keyword may also have Lexical Variants. These are alternate forms of the core concept that “sound” very similar to the Core:

Ex: Core Concept: Periapical granuloma

Lexical Variants: Periapical Granulomas;

Granuloma, Periapical;

Granulomas, Periapical

There are also keyword Synonyms – terms that are synonymous with and therefore linked to the Core Concept:

Ex: Core Concept: Periapical granuloma

Chronic Apical Periodontitis

Every keyword, plus its synonym and lexical variants, are assigned one or more Domain and Topic links in the Consortium’s Taxonomy (see below). When you begin linking keywords to your course data, you will be asked to select the “Best” Domain and Topic link for each keyword. New keywords may be created and entered by the database manager, and subsequently, domain and topic links may be managed this way as well.

Consortium Taxonomy

All keywords in the keyword database are linked to at least one Domain and Topic location in the taxonomy; many keywords have multiple Domain-Topic links. Occasionally, you may wish to form a new link between a keyword and a specific location in the taxonomy, but will not find an appropriate Topic among those supplied. When this occurs, modifications in the Taxonomy may be made by the Database Manager.

Caution: While Taxonomy revisions are allowed, we ask that you be very careful when doing so. When thinking about where to assign a new keyword, or whether or not to create a new Topic in a Domain, you will almost always have several choices as to which is the “best” Domain or Topic location. The choice you make should depend on the context of the keyword in question.

Example: The term “Periapical abscess” can be assigned to three different Domains (shown below) depending on whether the context of the classroom discussion relates to the Oral Pathology, Diagnosis, or Treatment of that abscess.

11:12-Oral Pathology:

Diseases of Pulp and Periapical Tissues

21:06-Oral Diagnosis:

Clinical Examination of Dental and Periodontal Tissues

33:04-Medical/Dental Emergencies:

Acute Oral Pain

To reiterate, your decision about the need for a new Topic in a given Domain should only be taken after a thorough study of all potential locations to determine if the one you are proposing is appropriate.

We urge that careful consideration be made when selecting Domain and Topic links for keywords. Avoid being too general; if a keyword is an important part of the content of an Course, but falls under a different discipline, be sure to select the correct Domain to reflect such a difference. Consider the following dental scenario:

One may be tempted to classify all that is taught in a Periodontal Course under the “Perio” Domain. However, Microbiology concepts reviewed in Perio should be classified under the Microbiology Domain. Even though this Perio “material” is placed within the Microbiology Domain, it will remain identified in your analyses as Microbiology content originating from within the Perio Course.

If you are having trouble classifying a specific keyword, consider linking it to Topic number 99 (Domain keywords without Topics) which can be found at the end of each Domain. In this way you will be letting the consortium staff make the choice about the need for new Topics, rather than attempting this yourself.

Keywords – Instructions for Adding

WebCATs contains a comprehensive Keyword screen from which you must link new keywords to your session data; select taxonomy links for keywords; and edit information on the keywords that have already been linked to your curriculum database. The only function you cannot perform is the addition of new keywords to the keyword list of 50,000 terms.

Keywords for your course are added at the Sessions level.

1. Select the Keywords attribute at the New Session screen.

2. Select the “New Keyword” link.

3. A search screen will open. Use the top half of the screen to set up search criteria. First, under Search Domains, select the Domain/Topic pair you wish to search.

4. Under Search String, type in a word or word part. This helps you filter through the list of 50,000 keywords. You may search either by looking for a string that a keyword contains, or a string that a keyword begins with. Click in one of the round buttons to make your selection. If you only want preferred forms of keywords to be shown in the search results, click in the Preferred Forms check box.

5. Click on Update Keyword List. If any matches are found, they will appear in the list at the bottom half of the screen.

6. Click once on a keyword to select it.

7. Click on Add This Keyword; the main keyword screen appears.

8. Select the RTU (Relative Time Unit) for the keyword. The RTU is used as an indicator of the importance of a keyword in relation to other topics covered in this session and may be a number from 1 to 10; 1 representing very little time spent on a topic, 10 representing most of the class time spent on the topic.

9. Select a Taxonomy Domain/Topic pair from the pick list (or see keyword addendum). You may accept the one that is selected, or choose another one from the list; however, you cannot create a new Domain/Topic pair through WebCATs.

10. Select Modifiers for this keyword. Some course directors choose to describe keywords in detail and thus further convey the teaching/learning context. Using keyword modifiers is one way to enrich the meaning of keywords.

11. Click Save. When the program informs you that the keyword has been saved, click OK.

12. Return to the main keyword list through the Back to Keyword List link.

Outcomes

Outcomes describe the planned student outcomes for each major topic or theme covered in the session. Each outcome should be student-oriented; that is, it is intended to focus very specifically on what a student will be able to do as a result of successfully completing the session. For most courses, one would expect two or more specific outcome statements per session. Outcomes are the student behaviors that should be exhibited if a session meets its stated goals – a goal may have two to three corresponding outcomes.

For laboratory and clinic settings, use verbs such as “perform”, “construct”, and “diagnose”. For didactic courses, more general verbs such as “know”, “exhibit knowledge”, and “identify” are acceptable.

Entering outcomes data is similar at both the Course and Sessions (lectures) levels, but keep in mind the level of detail that is included in the Session level. In other words, outcomes for your course should be much broader, while individual session outcomes should be very specific for that class period.

To enter a new outcome for a session, click on the New Outcome link. Type in the outcome title and description. The outcome number will generate automatically as you add new outcomes. Also select a value to represent the Relative Value Unit (RVU) of the particular outcome, compared to other outcomes for this session. Click on Add to save your changes. The program will place you at the list of Outcomes for the session.

Session Content

The Session Content screen allows course directors and their faculty to enter a content outline for their course that could be searched for specific keywords. These outlines are entered in free-text format.

This feature is helpful for displaying the contents of each session. The Session Content screen enables the entry of the course director’s anticipated content. Session Content data adds considerably more to the printout of each class than a listing consisting only of Session titles.

Be aware that this is a simple text editor screen. It does not contain the capabilities for indenting, word wrapping, or other advanced word processing features.

Type in your Content information in outline form. Save the outline by clicking Save. Modify a Content Outline by highlighting any information you want to change or delete. Then type over or delete the highlighted text. If you want to save your content Outline, click Save.

Session Details

The Session Details screen allows you to enter additional information on the session, such as the number of student groups, and the average size of each group.

The Session Details screens for small group didactic, basic science lab, pre-clinical lab, and rotation/clerkship settings are the same, and vary only slightly from the screen for large group didactic. Examination sessions will have a slightly different screen, allowing you to select the exam name from a pick list generated from data you entered at the Course Attributes screen.

For problem-based learning, the screen is also slightly different. At this screen, you choose the PBL Case from a pick list that was created when you entered PBL cases at the Course Attributes screen. You also select the tutorial group that is working on the PBL case this session.

Teaching Style: Select a teaching style from the available pick list. The list contains the optional selections of Socratic or Oratorial teaching style. You may add additional styles by clicking on “Add/Edit List”.

Number of Student Groups: Enter the number of student groups that will participate in this session. If the session is a large group didactic, the number will be 1.

Average Size of Each Group: Enter the average size of each student group. For the large group didactic setting, this will be the number of students enrolled in the class. For other settings, the group size may be smaller.

Quiz: If a quiz is to be administered during this session, click in this box.

Other Comments: You may add comments about the session in this text box.