ADEA Future of Advanced Dental Education Admissions (ADEA/FADEA) Project
The changes announced in 2009 in the reporting of National
Board Dental Examination (NBDE) scores (becoming pass/fail in 2012)
placed a focus on the postdoctoral admissions process. Advanced
education program directors will face new challenges in the
always-critical process of screening applicants and selecting the
best candidates for their programs.
In response, ADEA initiated the ADEA Future of Advanced Dental
Education Admissions (ADEA/FADEA) Project to offer guides and tools
for navigating the postdoctoral dental education admissions
environment. The goal of ADEA/FADEA is to identify the best ways to
review, compare, and select candidates for advanced dental
education programs. On an ongoing basis, it will identify best
practices in admissions and assess the value of all inputs into
admissions decision making (including not just test results, but
also grades, letters of evaluation, class rank, and personal
qualities).
The foundation of the ADEA/FADEA project is research among
postdoctoral program directors. In 2010, ADEA/FADEA conducted a
survey of all postdoctoral program directors, collecting data on
current admission practices and perceptions about the value of
existing and possible new factors in the process. There were 714
postdoctoral program directors surveyed, with a total of 385
respondents (54% response rate). As a result, for each dental
specialty and for general dentistry, ADEA was able to identify the
top five traits shared by successful candidates and the process by
which program directors review, rate, and select candidates. These
are now used to shape professional evaluations collected in the
2012 ADEA PASS application cycle, for better targeting by both
evaluators and program directors.
Another addition for the 2012 ADEA PASS application cycle is a
required multidimensional applicant assessment that gives reliable
information on the noncognitive factors program directors
identified as crucial. The
ETS® Personal Potential Index (ETS® PPI) is a web-based
evaluation system where up to five evaluators the applicant has
selected rate him or her on personal characteristics. ETS then
creates an ETS® PPI Evaluation Report that incorporates the
evaluations and comments from all evaluators and is included in the
ADEA PASS application sent to advanced dental education programs
the applicant designates.
Inclusion of the ETS® PPI is a pilot program for the 2012
application cycle that will be assessed for its effectiveness in
advanced dental education admissions, as will other
ADEA/FADEA-suggested modifications.
At an initial meeting of stakeholders on May 18, 2010, more than
40 attendees representing advanced dental education program
directors, dental education administrators, predoctoral and
advanced dental education students, and ADEA officers and staff
explored current and future challenges in advanced dental education
admissions. Attendees of this meeting were selected by the
ADEA Council of Hospitals and Advanced Education Programs (ADEA
COHAEP), dental specialty organizations, and the American Dental
Association (ADA).
Findings and best practices will be further developed at the
ADEA Summit on Advanced Dental Education, taking place at the ADEA
Fall 2011 Meetings.