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King's College attracts £2m cash boost
20th Mar 2007
King’s College London has secured £2.3 million over three years for an innovative online learning project to train dentists in specialist subjects. The initiative, which will be run by King’s Dental Institute, is mainly funded by HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England) and the Department of Health. Action to increase the number of qualified NHS dentists in the UK is ongoing, but the lack of appropriately qualified teachers, particularly in the more specialist disciplines such as dental radiology, oral medicine and pathology, presents a challenge for dental education. This online flexible learning project will bridge the gap between skills development for dentists and the availability of expert teachers in smaller specialties. The new e-learning platform, which is designed by specialist web professionals Tier 2 Consulting, allows students access to a broad range of online teaching and learning, support and services from enrollment to graduation and beyond. Dental schools will be able to customise the platform according to their specific needs and use it alongside traditional teaching methods. The project will form the foundation of the International Virtual Dental School, which will become a self sustaining, non-profit making business enterprise. Key academic partners include Portsmouth University, the Eastman Dental Institute, the University of Bristol Dental School and Queen’s University Belfast School of Dentistry. The aim is to expand the network across the UK, Europe and worldwide. Professor Nairn Wilson, Dean of the Dental Institute, said: ‘The King's College London Dental Institute at Guy's, King's College and St Thomas' Hospitals is delighted to receive a HEFCE Strategic Development Fund award to further develop its innovative flexible learning platform. This should have an impact on dental education nationally and internationally, greatly enhancing access to state-of-the-art resources in learning and teaching.’ The Dental Institute has a strong track record in e-learning. Dr Reynolds has pioneered a number of key projects in this area, including the use of wireless communications technology in clinical environments to enhance learning in healthcare. A recent memorandum of understanding with Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia has enabled the development of a range of distance learning courses. Dr Reynolds was also shortlisted for the 2005 Times Higher Award for ‘Most Imaginative Use of Distance Learning'. In addition to £1 million from HEFCE’s Strategic Development Fund and £738,000 from the Department of Health, the other funders for this project are: King’s College London Dental Institute, Guy’s and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Tier 2 Consulting and South Central Strategic Health Authority (Portsmouth University’s partner NHS Trust).
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