Dental Anesthesia-SecondLook
Expert-developed at a leading university
App Summary
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Detailed Description
Functionality & Mechanism
This educational self-assessment tool, developed at the University of Michigan, is designed for learners in the dental sciences. The application utilizes a series of images and guiding questions to review anesthetic procedures, including nerve blocks, dosage calculations, and potential complications. Its question-and-answer structure facilitates a stepwise review process, creating a "review map" that links concepts and allows users to identify and address specific gaps in their foundational knowledge of dental anesthesia.
Development & Context
- The SecondLook app series was created by a professor at the University of Michigan to provide a self-review resource following reductions in classroom time for anatomical sciences.
- Its design focuses on helping students identify gaps in their understanding rather than serving as a simple list of potential examination questions.
- The news coverage notes that as of 2019, the entire suite of SecondLook apps had been downloaded more than 49,000 times across 180 countries.
- The original app concept was recognized with the University of Michigan's Provost's Teaching Innovation Prize in 2013.
Intended Use & Scope
This application is intended as a supplemental study aid for dental students and other learners in the health sciences. It functions as an educational resource to support self-assessment of knowledge regarding anesthetic procedures. The information presented is based on news coverage and the developer's description, not on independent, peer-reviewed clinical validation.
In the Media
U-M's SecondLook Apps Help Medical Students Succeed
The University of Michigan's Michael Hortsch developed Dental Anesthesia-SecondLook to help dental students review histological images outside of class after instructor-guided lab sessions were eliminated, using interactive PowerPoint files with guiding questions. "This model provided a review map for students, allowing them to link seemingly distinct facts and observations into a coherent network," Hortsch says. The app's question structure creates follow-up questions that help students gain deeper understanding of complex histological material than traditional learning modes alone.
Taking a SecondLook at How Students Learn Histology
University of Michigan's Michael Hortsch, Ph.D., developed the SecondLook mobile app series to help students identify knowledge gaps through quick 10-minute review sessions, expanding beyond his original histology PowerPoint files with funding from the Medical School Dean's office. "SecondLook was really a different way to help student be prepared. It isn't just a list of possible test questions. It's intended to show gaps in knowledge and skills," Hortsch explained. The app won the Provost's Teaching Innovation Prize in 2013 and has since expanded to include dental sciences and other subjects beyond medical education.
App Information
Developer
University of MichiganCategory
Evidence Profile
Expert-developed at a leading university
Platforms
Updated
Jun 2018
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