Join in our monthly live meetings and explore our wealth of on-demand resources. Dentistry is rapidly evolving with constant advances and changes in biological science, clinical management, dental technologies and regulatory requirements. Keeping abreast with these developments is not a simple matter. Most dentists have traditionally used face-to-face methods of training, in particular lectures, in combination with journals for their postgraduate education. However there are not enough courses and teachers to service the growing demand, and as educational activities they have some shortcomings: how much do you remember from the last lecture you attended? E-learning has some significant benefits. Perhaps the most immediate are the removal of geographical and time barriers because e-learning courses are delivered using your computer (and that includes some of the latest mobile phones). There’s no need to travel and you can learn when it suits you and not the course organiser. They also tend to be considerably less expensive. One criticism sometimes levelled at e-learning is that it is a solitary endeavour and can leave the learner isolated when interaction with peers would be beneficial. However it is now possible to participate in virtual meetings for live training along with others who may be down to road or on another continent. Whilst these logistical and financial benefits are important e-learning also offers important pedagogical ones. Wouldn’t it be useful to listen to that lecture again? Or test your knowledge with interactive quizzes complete with feedback? How about 3D graphics to illustrate complex anatomy, or videos seen from the operator’s point of view? We believe that e-learning should harness the unique attributes that the technology offers and not simply a facsimile of traditional methods. It should be flexible, informing and engaging, putting the learner in control. This is why we offer a range of e-learning resources to suit different needs: journal CPD quizzes, peer-reviewed courses on CD-ROM and online together with live and on-demand webinars. These may be used in their own right or integrated with face-to-face training (“blended learning”) as part of formal training programmes.
