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e-Skills CD COURSE ASSIGNMENT

In this task, we would like to ask you to make some decisions concerning the development of the learning content for your own online or blended learning course project. Having in mind what you have learned in chapters of our course "eLearning Content Development"' please describe succinctly the course you are planning as guided by the following questions. If you do not have a concrete course project yet, you can either work together with a colleague to ascertain appropriate learning content for a much desired eLearning course in your institution, or pretend to have a project and sketch how you would do it.

1. Course Description
Give a very short description of the course you are planning (if you are not planning a course, make it a fictional one);

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Course Title: Metal Casting Technique
 INTRODUCTION
It is increasingly important to have metal based removable dentures giving the problems associated with acrylic based dentures. When you place acrylic and metal based dentures side by side the preference of dental patient is likely going to tilt towards metal based dentures. Many advantages can be adduced for this which includes strength, good tissue compatibility and better heat conductivity all of which accounted for preference for metal based dentures. The several advantages of metal based fixed and removable prostheses are getting popular among dental patients especially with constant development in metal technology which has continued to produce metal alloys that are friendlier with oral tissues and help in reducing cost and time required to produce dental prostheses.
Fabrication of metallic appliances demand a number of skills which will enable a dental lab technologist to fabricate alloys of different kinds using different machines, materials, techniques, and hand tools. This course will help the participants to master a number of these techniques which are listed below.
Course Description: It is a common knowledge that over ninety percent of dental patients in developing countries use acrylic based dentures. However, acrylic dentures are fraught with a lot of deficiencies most of which metal based prostheses may address. This course will make participants proficient in the fabrication of removable metallic dentures and fixed restorations and teach participants the techniques for the manipulation of metal alloys and to understand the equipment required for this procedure. Participants will be exposed to the latest techniques and equipments and materials in the metallurgy of dental prostheses. Participants will be shown the step-by-step techniques required for fabricating metallic crowns and bridges, and skeletal metal framework for removable dentures. There shall be an opportunity for participants to engage with experts in the design and fabrication of metallic fixed and removable prostheses and be able to produce own single full metallic framework. Participants who successfully completed the course and satisfied the course examiners will go home with the prestigious certificate of the MEDILAG CONSULT the consultancy arm the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES 
This course will empower the participants to become master metal technologist and therefore shall be able to:
1.       Understand the principles of fabricating full crowns and bridges and metallic framework
2.       Understand partial denture design
3.       Understand the principles of spruing
4.       Understand different investment materials and their uses
5.       Understand model preparation techniques
6.       Produce own skeletal metal frame for either full upper or lower arch
7.       Understand the techniques for metal fabrication for different dental prostheses
8.       Identify different tools, machines and materials used for metal fabrication
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Participants will:
1.       Be able to carry-out metal casting methods from pouring impression to final production of a skeletal metal framework.
2.       Fabricate full skeletal metal framework and a metal crown.
3.       Be able to operate induction and centrifugal casting machines
4.       Produce own metal frame.
Course Modules
1.       Pouring of impression
2.       Die Preparation
3.       Model Preparation
4.       Partial denture design-Skeletal Frame design.
5.       Types of  wax, Wax work and spruing and principles of making sprues
6.       Carving technique
7.       Debbublisation
8.       Investment Technique and material management
9.       Burnout technique-Use of burn-out oven
10.   Casting methods-Using induction and centrifugal casting machines and de-casting method.
11.   Sand blasting Technique
12.   Finishing-Trimming and Polishing techniques
13.   Managing a goal getting dental lab
Planned mode of learning (full online, f2f+online, CBT, etc.?): This course will be implemented online and through face to face. It is therefore divided into part I and II. Online module (Part I) shall consist of contents for online delivery while the lab module (Part II) shall consist of modules taught through face to face contact with course participants at our dental lab at the college of medicine of the University of Lagos.



2. Target Group
Does the target group have any previous knowledge about working with computers? What internet skills do they have? Do you have any pre-requisite for your course? How does this influence your content development?

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Target Group: Licensed dental lab technologist, and postgraduate dental surgeons who are preparing for national and west African professional examinations.

Pre-requisite for target participants:   Participants are expected to have prior knowledge of the use of computer for video conferencing. The knowledge of the use of Skype is expected otherwise support shall be given during pre-course preparations. Every participant will be required to open Skype account and share addresses with course tutor and fellow students and invite one another as friends on Skype network. Assessment of students shall be on the competences acquired in metal casting techniques not on the technology used in course implementation. No language requirement is necessary as target group are all English speakers.



3. Technological Infrastructure & Study Location of Target Group
What technical equipment does your target group use? Do the participants learn at home or at work? How does this influence your content development (not many animations or expensive screen design, …)?

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Participants will need their personal computers and similar devices to participate in online modules but the face to face module which will take place in the College dental lab will require the use of dental equipment, materials and hand tools the cost of which has been included in the course fee.

Online course shall be scheduled and time table forwarded to participants who will be expected to hook on to the Skype network. In order to participate on this course personal computers (PC) should have webcam. Through video conferencing tutor will deliver lectures on the online modules and chat function shall be used for participants to ask questions.




4a Financial and Human Resources at your Institution
What financial and personal resources do you have at your disposal to help with the preparation of content? How does this influence your content development?

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All course materials and equipment is available at the LUTH/CMUL dental laboratory. The cost for the use of these materials is embedded in the course fee. However, a written approval from the management is required for the dental lab to be used.


4b. Methodology/Pedagogy:
Methodology: Lectures, discussions, and hands-on.
Pedagogy: Instructivist and socio-constructivist

4c. Course Duration: Three days requiring a minimum of six (6hrs) commitment per day.

4d. Learner’s Progress Check
Are you planning to test your learners? Will you provide tests/ quizzes or individual/group activities in your course? Will you make these tests as pre-requisite before they enter another chapter in your module? Or will the tests / activities just serve as guide or add-ons in your module? (Give examples of tests / activities that you are planning in your module, if any)

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Assessment: Formative 30% of course work; Summative 70% of course work
Summative assessment shall be on essay submitted summarizing the learning experiences for each module and the metal frame cast by the participant.
Formative shall be students’ participation on the course namely: answer to question, group work, attendance at both online and face to face meetings, and contribution to online discussions.




4e. Practical task: Sketch one screen of your eLearning content!
Try to compose one screen for your learners. This could be any screen from your course project.
Think of a side-bar with information (a glossary perhaps or a picture), think of the text, the
graphics, animations, pictures …
Describe the screen or (even better) try to visualize it in a word-file or a power point slide or in
this document.
 NOTE: See the attachment for answer to 4e above.






 Impression Casting Technique

Introduction
The foundation of fabricating most dental prostheses is by obtaining an impression of the mouth (negative replica of the oral cavity) which consists of the teeth, the mucosa and other adjoining tissues from which a model (Positive) replica of the mouth is obtained.An impression is necessary because the mouth is a small space to conveneiently carryout most procedures for diagnosis and  treatment of most oral diseases. Fabrication of conservative and restorative prostheses is mostly and smoothly possible outside the mouth. Therefore, an impression of the mouth is necessary but this is not just what a dental lab technologist needs to achieve a good fabrication of an oral appliance. The impression needs to be cast in stone plaster. Other harder materials are used for other purposes e.g. densite used for fabricating metallic appliances. Impression could also be poured in refractory material so as to obviate the need for duplication later on. Model obtained from an impression forms the foundation of laboratory procedures for the manufacture of dental appliances for restorative, conservative, treatment and re-alignment of badly angulated teeth in the mouth.

Materials and Equipment
·         Impression in dental trays-Stock or special trays which could be made in different materials like metal and plastic

  • ·         Plaster Bowl
  • ·         Dental hand spatula (or mechanical spatulator)
  • ·         Measuring cup
  • ·         A jar of water and measuring jar
  • ·         Vibrator
Step-by-step Technique- Impression must be received from the dental surgery.
1.       Wear protective gloves and facemask for handling so as to prevent infection and material spill when casting the impression and the oral fluid getting on your face.
2.       Carefully handle impression and rinse it under slow running tap and dip in 50% hypochlorite solution to sterilise against cross infection.
3.       Inspect and ascertain if impression covers all the necessary areas and if satisfied drain off water on impression surface by blowing air on the impression.
4.       Place impression tray on impression rack with the posterior end raised up to prevent distortion.
5.       Measure a 20ml of water into a plaster bowl and gradually sieve about fifty grammes (50g) of stone plaster into the bowl until completely soaked by water in the bowl and spatulate by circular movement only either by mechanical means or manually by the use of dental spatula until creamy and homogeneous paste is achieved. Note measure of stone powder is often done by experience and varies either it is lower or upper arch that is been treated.
6.       If an upper impression place a little of the stone paste in the palatal area of the impression and switch on the mechanical vibrator until filled to the periphery of the impression. If lower stone paste is placed at the most posterior end and tray lowered towards anterior end until filled to the peripheral areas.
7.       Allow to stand until stone attained full setting time which is not more than fifteen minutes for a regular setting stone plaster.

Decasting Method.
Once satisfied that the stone is fully set by feeling if it is no longer warm as setting of stone plaster is an exothermic reaction decasting procedure is initiated.
1.       Clear off all impression material that flew through the perforation in the impression tray.
2.       Place your wax knife between the tray and the impression material from the posterior end of the tray and gradually lift the model off the tray.
3.       Continue this until the model is fully recovered from the stock tray
4.       Cut excess stone material with plaster cutter and if necessary use model trimming machine (Note model trimming could be more that this as the purpose a model is made vary and should determine how this should be done).

Don’ts
·         Do not wash or blow impression too hard to avoid distortion.
·         Do not apply pressure on the impression when casting e.g. if dental spatula is used to scoop stone plaster on the impression
·         Do not make a thin mix, so follow manufacturer’s instruction on water/powder ratio to avoid weak model.
·         Do not place the posterior end of an impression resting on bench top in order to forestall lifting and eventual distortion.
·         Lift stone model gently to forestall breaking standing teeth on the model.

Benefits
Making impression of the mouth and getting a model out of it is necessary as the mouth is a small place where most procedure cannot take place because of the inconveniences of dental patients opening his mouth for too long and that most procedures involving restorations have to pass through the rigours of laboratory procedure which cannot be possible in the mouth. For example making an acrylic denture is not possible in the mouth and hence a measurement of the mouth is necessary for lab technologist to separately manufacture this prosthesis.

Conclusion
Making model is important and the sequences of making a dental model have to be followed strictly otherwise result may amount to a waste of time and resources. Although some treatment and diagnosis of oral diseases may take place at chair side but most appliances is done in the dental lab. The foundation of all dental prosthesis make for patient is the model. Casting techniques for production of dental model is therefore very essential to restoring good oral health

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