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As soon as Robin Kerkstra, RDH, MSDH, heard the University of New Haven was moving to remote learning for the remainder of the spring semester, she had one priority: that her dental hygiene students – so used to working together in their clinical courses – did not feel alone.

“My primary goal for my dental hygiene students is to ensure they feel connected to each other, me, and the University,” says Kerkstra, an assistant professor of allied health. “I don't want any of my students to feel alone or think that learning online isn't something they can do successfully.”

To connect with her students, she is using Blackboard for written discussions and as a visual discussion community. The clinical portion of the course held at the University’s Dental Center has been canceled until the University reopens its campus, but the rest of the course continues apace virtually.

“I use patient case-based and real-life scenarios to help link the didactic to the clinical,” Prof. Kerkstra explains. “I am enjoying figuring out new processes to step up to the challenge of investing in our students using a different delivery approach.”

Krystal Quaynor ’20 is now taking Prof. Kerkstra’s Advanced Dental Hygiene Concepts class from the cozy home office she’s created at her house in Derby on Mondays at 9:30 a.m., the same time she would have the class on campus, only now her German Shepherd, Chase, pokes his head in to say hello.

Quaynor says she is struck by how Prof. Kerkstra links what they have learned and are learning in the program to what is happening with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It’s been really nice to see everyone in class on Zoom because it brings a sense of comfort, like we are truly all in this together." Krystal Quaynor '20

“To see many of the things we learned about in Microbiology and Dental Hygiene Concepts play out in a real-world scenario is very eye-opening,” she says. “This kind of training will help us once we are a part of the workforce to allow us to effectively react to a health crisis such as this one. It is very important that we are equipped with the knowledge of proper infection control procedures because, as health care providers, we have a duty to our patients and our community to make sure we are taking precautions to limit the spread of diseases.”

Quaynor says she misses seeing her professors, friends, and classmates through the clinical part of the program, but Prof. Kerkstra has helped them remain connected.

“We started in the dental hygiene program together and we’ve become a family,” she says. “It’s been really nice to see everyone in class on Zoom because it brings a sense of comfort, like we are truly all in this together.”

To further keep her students’ spirits up, Prof. Kerkstra has incorporated game-based learning, sending prizes like hats and decals with positive phrases like “smash your goals,” “choose joy,” and “warrior to the winners.”

She also created a forum where students can talk together about life in this time of social distancing. “I believe it's incredibly important to have a platform to communicate with students and for students to communicate with each other that is completely unrelated to grading,” Prof. Kerkstra says. “My students know this forum has nothing to do with their grades or assignments. I feel this type of setting for my students is equally as important as the virtual classroom setting.”

Quaynor says she’s grateful for that. “She is constantly checking in on us and our well-being and giving us different tips and tricks to help us get through this tough time,” she says. “From encouraging us to get fresh air to sending cute pictures of her dog, these little positive things make a difference, and we all appreciate that.”

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