Transversal Skills in Dentistry: Content and Language Integrated Learning Approach Erasmus Project

Project Title

Transversal Skills in Dentistry: Content and Language Integrated Learning Approach

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Health and wellbeing; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

In the context of the project, it was crucial to bridge the gap between higher education offer and labour market demand in terms of the acquisition of
transversal skills in dentistry. The objectives of the project were 1) to analyse the present labour market demands required in the field of dentistry; 2) to
develop a survey on the synergies between education and labour market aimed at re-evaluating the academic and domain-related competences to match them
with the transversal skills required for the professional community; 3) to use the survey results in order to develop relevant methodology for the target groups;
4) to design teaching and learning materials to equip students with the transversal skills required in the professional setting; 5) to use ICT-based technologies
in developing OER for the benefit of gaining and validating the new skills; 6) to implement blended mobility in order to employ the relevant methodology
approach, teaching and learning materials in dentistry and OER by using the English language as a medium of international communication. The project
participants were the University of Latvia (UL) (Latvia), the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Department of Preventive Dentistry (the
Netherlands), and the Centre for Intercultural Studies, the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, School of Accounting and Administration (ISCAP) (Portugal). The profile
of each insititution was: 1) the UL contributed with its expertise in designing methodology for a simultaneous acquisition of dentistry and the English language
and developing teaching and learning materials in clinical dentistry. 2) ACTA’s contribution was in integrating clinical research in understanding the processes
that sustain oral health and preventive dentistry. 3) ISCAP’s expertise in e-learning environment allowed the project to place the developed outputs on the
Moodle platform as well as to ensure the visibility of the project and its results on the designed website.
The learning/teaching activity, that is, blended mobility of higher education students with the students from the UL and ACTA as participating organizations
was carried out in the Summer School “Dentistry and Language Integrated Learning” hosted by the University of Latvia in Riga, Latvia from 28 August to 01
September, 2017. The project implemented three face-to-face meetings in the partner countries and virtual meetings in order to enhance cooperation and
communication among all project partners.In order to gather the research data, Output 1, an online survey was administered and a database with contacts of
professional organizations was drawn up. For the production of Output 2, a questionnaire was used to study the CLIL approach used at HEIs, to explore the
available literature, and design a CLIL approach framework in dentistry. To develop Output 3, a web strategy for the dissemination of the Project outputs was
established and solutions proposed to make use of the e-learning platform and a project website was designed. For devising the training content (Output 4),
the proposed course content was verified with experts. To create the OER materials (Output 5), the analysis of the domain specific language use was done, the
identified core terms, materials were verified and adjusted to the target audience in dentistry. For the dissemination of the Outputs and longer-term benefits, a
leaflet was drawn up and spread to the relevant stakeholders. The project has achieved the following results: 1) The survey report on synergies between
education and labour market, and a database with contacts of professional organizations was drawn up; 2) The manual on the CLIL methodology for the
course Dentistry and Language Integrated Learning has been drawn up; 3) The project website http://paol.iscap.ipp.pt/erasmusendent/ that helps to
disseminate the intellectual outputs and good practices has been created; 4) the training content for the course Dentistry and English Language Integrated
Learning was created; 5) The teaching/learning materials and OERs for the course have been developed. 6) A leaflet has been designed to disseminate the
intellectual outputs produced. Longer-term benefits for the target groups are: a) acquired knowledge and transversal skills through the study of cases in
dentistry using English for instrumental purposes nationally and inernationally; b) increased number of the OER users; c) increased knowledge of professional
diversity in the area of dentistry, English language and digital competence. The impact on the project participants is: a) increased professionalism to work at
EU level; b) adopted methodology and innovative practices to satisfy the current labour market needs by integrating ICT methodologies; c) reinforced synergies
between HEIs and professional settings at national and transnational levels.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 71992 Eur

Project Coordinator

LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATE & Country: LV

Project Partners

• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DO PORTO
• STICHTING VU