School of Dentistry Introduces Dental Students to PBL
The School of Dentistry (SoD) at KNUST has organized a one-day workshop for clinical year dental students to introduce them to Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach which is an initiative being embraced by the College of Health Sciences to improve teaching and learning.
The PBL Workshop, held on March 12, 2025, at the Boadi Medical Enclave, was organized to familiarize students with Problem-Based Learning, its advantages and offer practical experience alongside their lecturers.
Professor Christian Agyare, the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, in his address, voiced strong support for the PBL initiative. He stated that healthcare education must evolve to keep up with the increasing demands of the profession. "We must prepare our students with not just knowledge but also the critical thinking and teamwork skills needed to address real-world healthcare issues," he noted.
Professor Alexander Oti Acheampong, Dean of School of Dentistry (SoD), in his remarks, highlighted the importance of PBL in fostering critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills. He mentioned that adding the Problem-Based Learning aspect to the old format will enrich the knowledge and skills of the students. “This is going to better equip our students who will soon be house officers to understand the problems the actual world problems they may encounter and also help them know how to go about it”, he added.
Professor Isaac Ayensu, the PBL Coordinator for the College of Health Sciences and the main speaker for the workshop, provided an overview of Problem-Based Learning (PBL), explaining it as a student-centered method that centers on real-world issues and fosters collaborative learning. He emphasized that the adoption of PBL would improve students' communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. Prof. Ayensu also highlighted the important role of teaching staff as facilitators and discussed the key factors that contribute to the successful implementation of PBL. He also guided the students to have practical sessions during the workshop.
Dr. Solomon Obiri Yeboah, the PBL coordinator for the School of Dentistry, expressed his strong belief that PBL would offer substantial advantages to the school’s educational framework. He stated that the School of Dentistry is starting the PBL with fifth-year students from the next academic year because they offer an inter-related course in Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology, which PBL will help the students to be equipped in that area before their final year in the clinical field. “The School of Dentistry has laid out plans for the successful rollout of Problem-Based Learning by equipping our faculty on how to formulate practical scenarios for the students and also understand their roles as facilitators for the programme,” he concluded.
