Building research competencies in undergraduate dental students: Effective implementation of a three-year research program in the curriculum at an Indian dental school

Building research competencies in undergraduate dental students: Effective implementation of a three-year research program in the curriculum at an Indian dental school | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Building research competencies in undergraduate dental students: Effective implementation of a three-year research program in the curriculum at an Indian dental school Meena Jain, Roomani Srivastava, Arundeep Singh, Vishal Jain, Alpa Gupta This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5740799/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Introduction: While many dental schools in India still follow traditional assessment systems, some are transitioning to credit-based assessment, allowing the integration of research and evidence-based practices into the curriculum. This research paper outlines a systematic approach taken by a dental school in India to introduce a research-teaching course for undergraduate dental students, named the "Research & Innovation Catalyst (RIC)." The course aims to establish a comprehensive research teaching nexus in the dental curriculum from the early years. Methodology: The curriculum was redesigned to incorporate outcome-based education and a choice-based credit system. Inputs from all the stakeholders were taken to create the dental undergraduate curriculum, ensuring alignment with the Dental Council of India (DCI) guidelines. The RIC course was introduced as an addition to the mandatory requirements of the DCI and was structured to teach research methodologies, survey techniques, ideation, innovation, intellectual property rights, and biostatistics over the first three years of graduation. A course development team conducted qualitative needs assessments involving experts, students, alumni, and faculty members. The syllabus was formulated on the basis of identified themes from needs assessment, and literature, and was subjected to Delphi rounds by a course development team. Both formative and summative evaluations were implemented, including assignments, tests, paper presentations, and viva voce examinations. Students practically learnt research principles through the mentor-guided research project. Results: An evaluation after three years of complete implementation of the designed course revealed that students' confidence and competencies in research domains increased as they progressed through the program. The students reported improved skills in scientific literature comprehension, problem-solving, critical thinking, and motivation to construct a research profile. Faculty members expressed confidence in their students' abilities but suggested additional exposure to evidence-based research and diverse types of articles. Conclusion: The successful implementation of the RIC course has the potential to increase research competence among dental undergraduates. This initiative contributes to producing dental graduates capable of applying research-based strategies in clinical practice and pursuing research careers, ultimately fostering research-oriented dental professionals. India advanced dental education biostatistics and epidemiology Curriculum infrastructure educational methodology educational innovation dental research process-oriented guided research learning Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Introduction As the twig is bent, so grows the tree. Dental education today is at the cusp of transformation especially in countries such as India, with the reigning government creating a valuable impetus for novel teaching methods and the integration of research in education. This has been labeled as the ‘Research teaching nexus’ (Healey, 2005 ; Mathieson, 2019 ). It refers to the integration of the tenets of research with the teaching of the core subject to those receiving higher education. The research teaching nexus can be described via the widely accepted model which describes the four domains of research-led (teaching subject content), research-based (inquiry based learning), research-tutored (learning and discussing research findings and scientific literature) and research-oriented (teaching research ethos and focusing on knowledge construction) (Griffiths, 2004 ; Healey, 2005 ). The new National Education Policy (NEP) of the Government of India emphasized transforming the quality and quantity of research by laying emphasizing a positive environment for research and innovation in higher education institutions in India. Thereby inculcating critical thinking, scientific method and holistic development which are expected to catalyze good quality research and improve research outcomes (National Education Policy, 2020 ). In this era of information overload, it has become essential to integrate research in every field. This concept applies to the fields of medicine and dentistry to a greater extent. For any dental/medical College/university today, there are three main verticals ‘teaching’, ‘clinical practice” and ‘research’. Sporadic evidence from around the world suggests that initiatives to bring the research and teaching functions of the universities closer together can greatly impact verticals, individually and collectively. The earliest reference to the importance of research teaching in dentistry was reflected in the report to the Carnegie Foundation for the advancement of teaching (Gies, 2012 ). Research teaching entails numerous key benefits including coherent concept development, improvements in critical thinking, the development of scientific methods, problem-solving skills, innovative impetus and teamwork building skills. All these skills are optimally aligned with the expected abilities of an academician in the 21st century (Catterall, 2012 ; Drake, 2007 ; Hartzler, 2000 ; Smithrim & Upitis, 2005 ). Most dental schools in India still follow the older system of percentage-based assessment with little or no room for the inclusion of components that may enhance the research profile of students as well as institutions (Virdi, 2011 ). However, there are certain dental schools that are transcending to a credit-based assessment system, which is akin to international standards and enables the inclusion of subjects or courses that cater to the demands of new age academicians, and researchers. Playing into the nation’s goals and the call for change in the dental curriculum, we aimed to introduce a research-teaching initiative by developing a systematic program characterized by early intervention among students, which is continuous and long-term in nature, and is conducted in parallel with clinical teaching by incorporating features of a vertical integration method. The aim was to introduce and build a Research Teaching Nexus for Undergraduate Dental Students, which covers all four domains– Research- Led, Research-Tutored, Research-based and Research-oriented by introducing a course titled Research & Innovation Catalyst (RIC) . Methodology In this section, we discuss the process of implementing the ‘Research & Innovation Catalyst (RIC)’ course under the following head: I). Curriculum Redesign The seed of the idea of the implementation of such a course presented itself when our dental school was integrated within the private-deemed university rather than being affiliated with a state government health university. This change provided much room for interventions to redesign and bring the dental curriculum of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) program to the International Standards. The principle of ‘outcome-based education’ was applied in this redesign process, and a ‘choice-based credit system’ was developed to achieve these goals. Figure 1 highlights the process of curriculum redesign. The curriculum formulation and redesign committee was constituted which comprised of the Senior Functionaries of the University, Head of Institution, Academic Head, External Academic Experts and Faculty Members. Inputs were also sought from alumni and students for formulating the draft curriculum by various Departmental Academic committees. The content of the new curriculum was governed by Program Educational Objectives, Program Outcomes and Program Specific Outcomes. All of this was done while still fully satisfying the guidelines of DCI, a statutory body to regulate the dental education throughout India which is incorporated under the Act of Parliament viz. The Dentists Act, 1948 (XVI of 1948). Course outcomes were determined for each proposed course in the curriculum and were mapped with the Program Outcomes of the BDS. The curriculum was divided into three types of subjects, core subjects, elective subjects and value-added courses. The Core subjects were those that were mandatory as per the DCI guidelines for all four years. The Elective Subjects included a basket of 50 elective courses to be offered to dental undergraduate students in the first three years, every year they are required to choose two elective subjects, which range from foreign languages to forensic odontology to aesthetic dentistry and computer sciences. This change is aimed at adding desirable skill sets to the students’ profile to improve holistic development, employability and acceptability for higher studies. The Value Added Courses included subjects that can be taken up by students to add to their profile, such as tobacco cessation counseling; basic life support etc. II). Rationale for Inclusion of RIC as a Mandatory Core Subject: Research Acumen Germination - Early influences in life guide one’s future. The present impetus for research outcomes, evidence-based dentistry and information storms from all the facets of dentistry encouraged us to introduce the subject of research early in the careers of budding dentists. Early exposure to the concepts of research methodology resulted in a course dedicated exclusively to improving the understanding of research among undergraduate students and training them to design, execute and publish research projects. It is prudent to clearly state that this subject was introduced over and above the fulfillment of mandatory requirements by DCI. The number of hours mandated by DCI for each year, when compared with actual hours available provides enough room for accommodating a new mandatory subject of 80 hours each year. This brought 240 hours of RIC teaching to the students in their course. Additionally, 120 hours were used for the Mentor-Guided Research Project. III). Process of RIC course development and syllabus formulation: Needs assessment by the course development team: The proposed RIC Course envisioned “to create a supportive environment for research and innovation by the undergraduate students to enable transformative discoveries and innovation”. A course development team was constructed to design the course and ascertain the syllabus. This team consisted of experts in the field of research methodology and those with good research profiles who was chaired by the Head of the Department of the Department of Public Health Dentistry (MJ). In the early months of 2019, this team adopted a qualitative need assessment approach and conducted a few focus group discussions with stake holders, such as experts in the field, students, alumni and faculty members. Table 1 presents the questions asked and the themes generated in the qualitative assessment. Table 1 Qualitative survey for needs assessment to generate themes Sr. No. Question Verbatim Quotes Themes Sub Themes 1. What do you think are the research competencies that a UG student should develop? “Understanding Scientific Literature is very essential before anything else” - Faculty “I would like to understand advanced methods and techniques which will help me in my practice” – Intern “Students should be able to present and publish basic research studies as it is expected in the CV in the job market” – Alumni Literature Review Evidence Based Dentistry Conducting Surveys Publishing Articles Types of Literature, Literature search, Search tools Systematic Reviews, Meta Analysis Survey, Types of studies Manuscript writing 2. If students have to view research as a career option – what skills will help them? “Research Project demands a lot of field work also which involves data collection, as a fresher we get only field work” - Alumni “Students must be aware of basic skills required in a research associate like literature search and data collection” - Faculty Methods of Data Collection Types of scales Questionnaire Design Data Entry and Data Coding 3. How much focus should be given to practical training in research? “Learning is doing, so they should really do one project may be under guidance” - Faculty “Like PG students have to do a thesis one project under guidance of a mentor can be considered” – Faculty (PG Guide) “These days there a lot of impetus on the concept of idea to industry. Students must be given basic information about Innovation and patents also” - Intern (Already has a start-up) Inclusion of Research Guided Mentorship Project Inclusion of “Innovation” component in the course. Opportunities to publish and present at conferences Intellectual Property rights and patents Opportunities to apply for intra mural and extra mural grants. 4. There are a number of computer aided steps in research – should students know about them all? “Plagiarism is a big issue so yes may be they should know about plagiarism software” - Faculty “Sometimes I think we are behind in basic presentation skills as we don’t get any opportunity to hone this, ppt should definitely be taught -it will help to learn how to make charts and graphs” – Student “Learning how to do stats using software may not be important – but they should know available options and have basic knowledge of which stats will be applied in which type of study” – Faculty (Institutional Ethical Committee Member) Research Ethics Biostatistics Presentation Plagiarism Types of Plagiarism Software for plagiarism MS Office – Excel and PPT Tests of Significance Introduction of SPSS and G Power 5. We have tentatively planned to keep the course across first 3 years of BDS – What do you think of this approach “Yes Final Year should definitely be left out” - Faculty “Distribution of content into 3 courses across first three years will help make just one year too overloaded” - Intern “A first year student knows very little about dentistry hence if the course continues till at least three years, it will give them more opportunities to actually apply it” - Faculty Justifying Coherent Concept Development Importance of Keeping the Course as a long-standing Early Intervention. Syllabus Formulation The process of syllabus formulation began on the basis of the themes identified through the qualitative study and cues from literature on research programs implemented in part (Al-Madi et al., 2018 ; Franzén & Brown, 2013 ; Healey et al., 2014 ; Healey & Jenkins, 2009; Van der Groen et al., 2018 ). A zero draft of the proposed syllabus, which spans three years, was structured. This included Course Outcomes (CO), content under each CO and Mapping of the COs with the Program Objectives and Program Specific Outcomes of the BDS Curriculum. The first-year syllabus focused on teaching the students the basic tenets of research and conducting simple surveys. The second year focused on driving students towards ideation and innovation in research including aspects of intellectual property rights and patents. The third year aimed to hone the students’ skills in elaborate research designs and biostatistics including training them in software for statistical analysis. The fundamentals of the research, such as the literature search, manuscript writing, referencing and publication tools were reiterated in all three years. The draft underwent several Delphi rounds which resulted in the formulation of the final syllabus. A copy of the final syllabus is attached as Annexure 1. Soft Launch of the Course and Feedback The course was implemented in August 2019 for the new batch. It was initially decided to launch the subject with only summative assessment (Final University theory examination). Feedback was sought from those teaching the course and from students. The course development committee gathered that in the absence of a formative assessment system, the lack of motivation and focus on the subject was palpable. On the basis of this feedback, the course development team devised year long assessment strategies. Additionally, the Research Guided Mentorship project was introduced as a component of the program to improve the ownership of the course by the students. Laying down evaluation strategies: Both formative and summative evaluation schemes were followed. The factors taken into consideration for Formative Assessment for each year were fifteen assignments, three Class tests, three Sessional examinations, one Paper/Poster Presentations in Scientific Conferences, one Research proposal submitted/ Pitch/ Grant Applications and Publications. Under the Summative Assessment, students were required to give University exams and Viva Voce for the subject each year. All the question papers were designed in alignment with Bloom's Taxonomy principles, incorporating approximately 30% of questions aimed at assessing Higher Order Thinking skills. Mentor Guided Research Project: Under this process, the students in the first year of BDS are divided into groups of five and each group is assigned a mentor from the pool of faculty members from medical departments and of dental departments who do not have a postgraduate (PG) program. This faculty pool was chosen because these departments were less research intensive in the absence of a postgraduate program. The groups thus divided were required to formulate a research question under the guidance of their mentor, submit a research protocol to the department of RIC and seek ethical approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee to conduct the research. This submission is a key point of their formative assessment in their first year. Students were then expected to conduct the research project/ survey and publish the paper within the second year. This publication is considered under formative assessment for their second year, among other things. The Mentor Guided Research Project brought a number of advantages to the program, such as hand holding of the student and enabling the first-year student to learn tenets of research practically. There was improvement of Research profile of Departments which are not as research intensive as PG departments. Provision of Research-Intensive Environment: The vision of improving the research orientation of students requires a commitment to a research-intensive environment. Students in the RIC course were provided with in-house opportunities to develop their research acumen and research presentation skills. This was done by conducting an annual conference on research and innovation since the inception of the course. These platforms provided an opportunity for our students to network with guest speakers and industry experts to understand real world implementation strategies for their skills acquired as a result of this curriculum. Students were time and again motivated to attend national/ international conferences where they could present their research/idea in the form of scientific papers and posters/ pitching. An overview of their accolades as a result of this course is presented in further sections. As a part of implementation preparedness, the faculty who were involved in teaching the course or in the mentor-guided research project underwent a 5-day long Faculty Development Program that focused on orienting the mentors toward the inclusion of this new subject. Evaluation of the Germination of Research Acumen After the complete teaching integration of the course in September 2022, that is, when the first batch completed all three university examinations, a quantitative evaluation was performed. The assessment of the implementation of the RIC program was approved by the Institutional Review Board (SRB/FACULTY/11/19/PHD/01). A questionnaire was designed on the basis of the four domains of the ‘Research Teaching Nexus’: Research Led, Research Tutored, Research Oriented and Research Based. Two questionnaires were used, one to assess self-reported students’ perceptions and the second to assess faculty perceptions of the germination of research acumen among students. There were three questions in the Research Tutored and Research Based categories each and five questions in the Research Oriented and Research Led categories. The questionnaire was assessed on a Likert scale from “Strongly agree” to “Strongly Disagree”. Each question was awarded a maximum score of 5 and a minimum score of one. This meant that the maximum score of the two domains was 15 and that of the other two was 25. However, as all four domains are given equal weight, the domains with three questions were recalculated to obtain a mean score out of 25. The questionnaire is available as Annexure 2 with this article. The data collected were analysed via the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Pearson’s correlation test was performed to assess the correlation between the mean scores of the domains with each other. A correlation test was performed between faculty perceptions and student perceptions. Results of the Evaluation of Research Acumen Germination: Data were collected from 168 students from all three batches and 40 mentors. The results of the evaluation of Research Acumen Germination revealed that students’ confidence and competencies in each domain increased as they advanced academically from the 1st year to the 3rd year as is evident in Fig. 2 . More than 95% (n = 163) of the students reported that they were confident in reading and understanding scientific literature. Better problem solving, critical thinking capabilities were reported along with improved confidence in the ability to plan and execute research projects. Most of them (98%, n = 167) also reported improved motivation to work toward building a good research profile. When similar tenets were evaluated by mentors for their students, out of forty, 37 mentors felt that the students were capable of handling scientific literature. Questions assessing research orientation, such as germination of innovation, orientation toward building a good research profile, and willingness to take up more research projects, were all agreed upon by most mentors (n > 35). Twelve of them also felt that the students needed more exposure to learn about evidence-based research, and ten of them still felt that students needed more training in analyzing different types of articles. The responses to each question for students and faculty are summarized in Table 2 . A comparison of the domain scores reported by the mentors and students revealed that the mentors reported higher scores in all the domains than did the students, indicating a greater level of confidence in their students than in what the students felt (Fig. 3 ). Table 2 Question-wise responses to the evaluation of research acumen in students by students and faculty Questions Students’ Self Perception (n = 168) Faculty Perception (n = 40) Agree n Disagree n Agree n Disagree n Confident of reading and analyzing literature in a scientific way. 160 8 37 3 Adequately trained in writing a scientific paper. 149 19 30 10 Better understanding of different types of scientific articles. 154 14 27 13 Problem-solving capabilities have improved after being exposed to Research as a subject. 160 8 29 11 Confident of conducting evidence-based research 148 20 27 13 Confident of understanding and statistically presenting the data collected in research projects. 150 18 26 14 The RIC curriculum is robust enough to cover all aspects of research methodology 164 4 36 4 The curriculum is designed to train students for practical application of concepts learnt 162 6 37 3 Learning the subject has improved confidence of designing and executing research projects. 157 11 37 3 Motivated to think about new research ideas and innovations and convert them into practical applications. 158 10 39 1 Team work skills have improved after being a part of research projects 157 11 37 3 Learning this subject has motivated to take up research projects. 157 11 39 1 Feel better prepared to handle research problems as compared to my counterparts who have not been exposed to the subject. 159 9 35 5 Being exposed to this subject has improved critical thinking. 160 8 36 4 It is important to have a good research profile. 167 1 39 1 Feel confident of applying for research grants 155 13 35 4 Table 3: Correlations of the scores of all four domains with each other Research Based weighted average Research Led Research Oriented Research Tutored Pearson Correlation .891 ** .800 ** .817 ** P Value < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001 N 170 170 170 Research Based Pearson Correlation .809 ** .816 ** Sig. (2-tailed) < 0.001 < 0.001 N 170 170 Research Led Pearson Correlation .860 ** Sig. (2-tailed) < 0.001 N 170 The ** next to the correlation coefficients indicates that the correlations are statistically significant. In this context, the observed correlations are unlikely to have occurred by chance. Table 3 shows the correlation coefficients (Pearson correlation) between the scores of all four domains: "Research-based weighted average," "Research-led," "Research-oriented," and "Research-tutored weighted average". The test revealed strong positive correlations of all the domains with each other. These correlations suggest that the scores in the different research domains are closely related and that high performance in one domain tends to be associated with high performance in the other domains.. Impact of the Course The effective implementation of this course led to an improvement in the research outcomes of the students which are summarized in Fig. 4 . There has been an exponential increase in student publications and awards won by students for their research. An important aspect of conducting research is also to be able to present it effectively. Our students effectively presented scientific posters and papers both at National Conferences and at in-house conferences conducted by the institute. Overall, improvements in all areas of research were observed, including the acquisition of extramural grants from Indian government bodies such as Department of Science and Technology and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Discussion The primary objectives behind implementing this program were to produce graduates likely to apply evidence-based strategies in their clinical practice, to encourage dental graduates to take up research as a career option, to increase the number of Research Qualified Future Faculty and to groom students to be “feeder sources” for working in research intensive institutions like various ICMR Bodies or other international research bodies (Iacopino et al., 2004 ; Liu et al., 2022 ). Research teaching in dental schools in India has been practiced thus far in a very sporadic way with a traditional approach; it has been a very small supplementary component to dental education, which may result in one or two paper presentations or a publication. Additionally, this approach is not as effective, as it is limited mainly to postgraduate students and faculty members without engaging undergraduate students. Concepts learned early in life are likely to introduce students to life-changing skills. Under graduate dental students in India spend five years in a dental school, providing ample time to incorporate a research program. This RIC course successful integration highlights the need for a paradigm shift to make research an integral part of dental teaching and a necessary component of clinical practice. There is some documented evidence of such an approach in dental schools around the world (Al-Madi et al., 2018 ; Amir et al., 2022 ; Franzén & Brown, 2013 ; Liu et al., 2022 ; Van der Groen et al., 2018 ). A scoping review by Liu et al, 2022 summarized and reported a research education-based intervention by a handful of universities in Canada, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Finland, Malaysia, China, Britain, South Africa, Turkey and Pakistan (Liu et al., 2022 ). All these universities have implemented research teaching in different ways; for instance, some have kept it as an elective subject, whereas other have chosen to keep it in the compulsory part of the curriculum. However, others have kept it as an optional extracurricular activity. The education goals of these programs run across the spectrum of developing a research question to a literature search, from research design to report writing. The teaching program also varies across these courses, as some have a theoretical course only, and some have complemented it with experimental skills development and mentor-guided research projects. There are no reports in the literature that utilize the concept of ‘Curriculum Integration’ to include research over a period of three years as a mandatory core subject in dental schools. Curriculum integration aims to engage students in higher education institutions in active learning. In contrast to the concept of gathering knowledge for the sake of knowledge, it aims to enable students to make the most of what they have learned and use it practically to essentially lead better professional lives (Wall & Alisa, 2017 ). The successful implementation of this program has had several noteworthy outcomes. First, it empowered students with the essential skills and knowledge required for effective engagement in research activities. Over the course of three years, students reported increased confidence in their understanding of scientific literature, improved problem-solving and critical thinking abilities, and heightened motivation to pursue research endeavors. This comprehensive approach has not only enriched their academic experience but also positioned them as future contributors to evidence-based dental practice and innovation (Amir et al., 2022 ; Franzén & Brown, 2013 ; Liu et al., 2022 ; Van der Groen et al., 2018 ). Moreover, the program fostered a culture of research and innovation within the institution. It encourages faculty members to become mentors, guiding students in their research journeys. Faculty mentors recognized the students' growing capabilities and motivation to engage in research, thus reinforcing the value of mentorship in nurturing research acumen (Davis, 2020; Nelson, 2020). However, there are several limitations of this evaluation, which included that the feedback obtained from the students and mentors was based on their own experiences and had no other program/intervention to compare to, as they were exposed to this type of course for the first time. Second, this study did not assess the long-term impact of this curriculum's change in community programs, on students' values, engagement, and potential positive contributions to community health. This evaluation may become possible as graduates of this curriculum engage with the communities they serve over a period of time. While the program has achieved significant success, it is essential to acknowledge that the journey toward building research competencies is ongoing. Some areas for improvement were identified, such as the need for additional training in analyzing different types of research articles and evidence-based research methods. Conclusion In summary, this research highlights the critical importance of integrating research into the undergraduate dental curriculum. This study highlights how a proactive and innovative approach to curriculum redesign, as exemplified by the Research & Innovation Catalyst (RIC) program, can empower students with the skills and mindset needed to excel in research and innovation. By nurturing a generation of dental professionals who are research-oriented, critical thinkers, and problem solvers, this initiative contributes not only to the improvement of dental education but also to the advancement of evidence-based dental practice and the growth of dental research in India. As the program continues to evolve and adapt, it serves as a valuable model for dental schools and higher education institutions worldwide seeking to prepare their students for a research-intensive future. Declarations Acknowledgements We wish to thank all the faculty members who taught this new course to the students. We thank all the mentors and students for participating in the study. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript. The authors have no financial or proprietary interests in any material discussed in this article. Data files available on request. Ethical approval- The assessment of the implementation of the RIC program was approved by the Institutional Review Board (SRB/FACULTY/11/2019/PHD/01). Participation in this study was voluntary, and all participants received written information prior to the study. Before initiation of the questionnaire, students and mentors provided informed consent. Authors’ contribution statements- All authors contributed to the course conception and design. MJ, RS & AG implemented the course. MJ, RS, AS & VJ prepared assessment themes & questionnaire, collected data. MJ and RS outlined the paper and analyzed data. 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Canadian Journal of Education , 28 (1/2), 109–127. https://doi.org/10.2307/1602156 Virdi, M. S. (2011). Reforming undergraduate dental education in India: introducing a credits and semester system. Journal of dental education , 75 (12), 1596–1602. Van der Groen, T. A., Olsen, B. R., & Park, S. E. (2018). Effects of a Research Requirement for Dental Students: A Retrospective Analysis of Students' Perspectives Across Ten Years. Journal of dental education , 82 (11), 1171–1177. https://doi.org/10.21815/JDE.018.121 Wall, A., & Alisa, L. (2017). Curriculum Integration: An Overview. Current Issues in Middle Level Education , 22 (1), 36–40. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/teach-secondary-facpubs/4 Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Annexure1RICallyearssyllabus.docx Annexure2Questionnaire.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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Jain","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJCCDxDqABBWAGlm5gZCOhhnILScAWlhJFoLiNkGJvFrMZc+fLDpRoVNHn/j4YeHC+fVRvO3A7X8qNiGU4tlX1pic86ZtGKJA8cMDs/cdjx3xmHGBsaeM7dxajE4w2P+OLftcGLDgQMGh3m3HcttAGphZmzDq8WwOfff/8T5B45/OMw751jufOK0NBxI3HDgDNCWhprcDYS0WPawAf1yLDlx44EzBYd5jh3I3QjUchCfX8x5mA8259TYJc67cXzzZ56autx55w8ffPCjAo/D4CyJAyDyMJh9AKd6FC38DSCyDp/iUTAKRsEoGKEAALlUaAtAMsq7AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Santosh University deemed to be Ghaziabad","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Meena","middleName":"","lastName":"Jain","suffix":""},{"id":396140272,"identity":"5beaedf5-cd2c-4836-b729-1971ec0faad1","order_by":1,"name":"Roomani Srivastava","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"All India Institute of Medical Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Roomani","middleName":"","lastName":"Srivastava","suffix":""},{"id":396140273,"identity":"cbc53aeb-2b63-483f-bcac-6a326582abcb","order_by":2,"name":"Arundeep Singh","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ex-Principal Manav Rachna Dental College MRIIRS","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Arundeep","middleName":"","lastName":"Singh","suffix":""},{"id":396140274,"identity":"058073eb-db96-4b5b-bf6e-df0d591fde29","order_by":3,"name":"Vishal Jain","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Manav Rachna Dental College MRIIRS","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vishal","middleName":"","lastName":"Jain","suffix":""},{"id":396140275,"identity":"33fd8192-01f5-407c-ac42-d794b4ffff7f","order_by":4,"name":"Alpa Gupta","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Manav Rachna Dental College MRIIRS","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alpa","middleName":"","lastName":"Gupta","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-12-31 09:08:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5740799/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5740799/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":72808092,"identity":"5ec11f73-a3d1-4c9d-af5b-d1069b781f1d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-02 10:47:47","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":367781,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eHighlights the process involved in curriculum redesign.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5740799/v1/7ff8ce76bc141e6d21348abb.png"},{"id":72808093,"identity":"a5b6f99d-1ec4-4e9a-b23c-0525e7394bd7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-02 10:47:47","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":233014,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eStudents’ evaluation of themselves\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5740799/v1/fdaf38eacb7acb10d78acd14.png"},{"id":72808103,"identity":"709b2577-403b-4e05-bcfd-36e23c731d12","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-02 10:47:48","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":89937,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison of the domain scores reported by faculty and students\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5740799/v1/35a512bec344b527fb46bcd1.png"},{"id":72808099,"identity":"b61d42b0-9a82-4ee7-8f36-029da4e4fa3f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-02 10:47:47","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":76213,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eImpact of the integration of RIC course on the research output of students\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5740799/v1/6069256c112dee1800d0487c.png"},{"id":73324080,"identity":"ffbaf4a6-0744-4462-afe7-1c17484bb21c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-09 00:46:25","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1797873,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5740799/v1/1f21b1e2-6985-45a5-8f6b-5dfedbced04f.pdf"},{"id":72808095,"identity":"405478e1-0ce3-4fb8-9dd7-c438574a9dcf","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-02 10:47:47","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":35613,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Annexure1RICallyearssyllabus.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5740799/v1/b5b382a16269b1bc06088046.docx"},{"id":72809158,"identity":"f29ba1aa-4652-4229-8ba7-b10be5d3d57f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-02 10:55:47","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":14205,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Annexure2Questionnaire.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5740799/v1/6c3f2d74e807d709e9e73f8d.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Building research competencies in undergraduate dental students: Effective implementation of a three-year research program in the curriculum at an Indian dental school","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs the twig is bent, so grows the tree.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDental education today is at the cusp of transformation especially in countries such as India, with the reigning government creating a valuable impetus for novel teaching methods and the integration of research in education. This has been labeled as the \u0026lsquo;Research teaching nexus\u0026rsquo; (Healey, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e; Mathieson, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). It refers to the integration of the tenets of research with the teaching of the core subject to those receiving higher education. The research teaching nexus can be described via the widely accepted model which describes the four domains of research-led (teaching subject content), research-based (inquiry based learning), research-tutored (learning and discussing research findings and scientific literature) and research-oriented (teaching research ethos and focusing on knowledge construction) (Griffiths, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e; Healey, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e). The new National Education Policy (NEP) of the Government of India emphasized transforming the quality and quantity of research by laying emphasizing a positive environment for research and innovation in higher education institutions in India. Thereby inculcating critical thinking, scientific method and holistic development which are expected to catalyze good quality research and improve research outcomes (National Education Policy, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this era of information overload, it has become essential to integrate research in every field. This concept applies to the fields of medicine and dentistry to a greater extent. For any dental/medical College/university today, there are three main verticals \u0026lsquo;teaching\u0026rsquo;, \u0026lsquo;clinical practice\u0026rdquo; and \u0026lsquo;research\u0026rsquo;. Sporadic evidence from around the world suggests that initiatives to bring the research and teaching functions of the universities closer together can greatly impact verticals, individually and collectively. The earliest reference to the importance of research teaching in dentistry was reflected in the report to the Carnegie Foundation for the advancement of teaching (Gies, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch teaching entails numerous key benefits including coherent concept development, improvements in critical thinking, the development of scientific methods, problem-solving skills, innovative impetus and teamwork building skills. All these skills are optimally aligned with the expected abilities of an academician in the 21st century (Catterall, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; Drake, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e; Hartzler, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e; Smithrim \u0026amp; Upitis, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost dental schools in India still follow the older system of percentage-based assessment with little or no room for the inclusion of components that may enhance the research profile of students as well as institutions (Virdi, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). However, there are certain dental schools that are transcending to a credit-based assessment system, which is akin to international standards and enables the inclusion of subjects or courses that cater to the demands of new age academicians, and researchers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlaying into the nation\u0026rsquo;s goals and the call for change in the dental curriculum, we aimed to introduce a research-teaching initiative by developing a systematic program characterized by early intervention among students, which is continuous and long-term in nature, and is conducted in parallel with clinical teaching by incorporating features of a vertical integration method. The aim was to introduce and build a Research Teaching Nexus for Undergraduate Dental Students, which covers all four domains\u0026ndash; Research- Led, Research-Tutored, Research-based and Research-oriented by introducing a course titled \u003cb\u003eResearch \u0026amp; Innovation Catalyst (RIC)\u003c/b\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methodology","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this section, we discuss the process of implementing the \u0026lsquo;Research \u0026amp; Innovation Catalyst (RIC)\u0026rsquo; course under the following head:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eI). Curriculum Redesign\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe seed of the idea of the implementation of such a course presented itself when our dental school was integrated within the private-deemed university rather than being affiliated with a state government health university. This change provided much room for interventions to redesign and bring the dental curriculum of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) program to the International Standards. The principle of \u0026lsquo;outcome-based education\u0026rsquo; was applied in this redesign process, and a \u0026lsquo;choice-based credit system\u0026rsquo; was developed to achieve these goals. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e highlights the process of curriculum redesign.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e The curriculum formulation and redesign committee was constituted which comprised of the Senior Functionaries of the University, Head of Institution, Academic Head, External Academic Experts and Faculty Members. Inputs were also sought from alumni and students for formulating the draft curriculum by various Departmental Academic committees. The content of the new curriculum was governed by Program Educational Objectives, Program Outcomes and Program Specific Outcomes. All of this was done while still fully satisfying the guidelines of DCI, a statutory body to regulate the dental education throughout India which is incorporated under the Act of Parliament viz. The Dentists Act, 1948 (XVI of 1948). Course outcomes were determined for each proposed course in the curriculum and were mapped with the Program Outcomes of the BDS.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe curriculum was divided into three types of subjects, core subjects, elective subjects and value-added courses. The \u003cb\u003eCore subjects\u003c/b\u003e were those that were mandatory as per the DCI guidelines for all four years. The \u003cb\u003eElective Subjects\u003c/b\u003e included a basket of 50 elective courses to be offered to dental undergraduate students in the first three years, every year they are required to choose two elective subjects, which range from foreign languages to forensic odontology to aesthetic dentistry and computer sciences. This change is aimed at adding desirable skill sets to the students\u0026rsquo; profile to improve holistic development, employability and acceptability for higher studies. The \u003cb\u003eValue Added Courses\u003c/b\u003e included subjects that can be taken up by students to add to their profile, such as tobacco cessation counseling; basic life support etc.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eII). Rationale for Inclusion of RIC as a Mandatory Core Subject:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eResearch Acumen Germination -\u003c/b\u003e Early influences in life guide one\u0026rsquo;s future. The present impetus for research outcomes, evidence-based dentistry and information storms from all the facets of dentistry encouraged us to introduce the subject of research early in the careers of budding dentists. Early exposure to the concepts of research methodology resulted in a course dedicated exclusively to improving the understanding of research among undergraduate students and training them to design, execute and publish research projects. It is prudent to clearly state that this subject was introduced over and above the fulfillment of mandatory requirements by DCI. The number of hours mandated by DCI for each year, when compared with actual hours available provides enough room for accommodating a new mandatory subject of 80 hours each year. This brought 240 hours of RIC teaching to the students in their course. Additionally, 120 hours were used for the \u003cem\u003eMentor-Guided Research Project.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIII). Process of RIC course development and syllabus formulation:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eNeeds assessment by the course development team:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe proposed RIC Course envisioned \u003cb\u003e\u0026ldquo;to create a supportive environment for research and innovation by the undergraduate students to enable transformative discoveries and innovation\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA course development team was constructed to design the course and ascertain the syllabus. This team consisted of experts in the field of research methodology and those with good research profiles who was chaired by the Head of the Department of the Department of Public Health Dentistry (MJ). In the early months of 2019, this team adopted a qualitative need assessment approach and conducted a few focus group discussions with stake holders, such as experts in the field, students, alumni and faculty members. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e presents the questions asked and the themes generated in the qualitative assessment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQualitative survey for needs assessment to generate themes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSr. No.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuestion\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVerbatim Quotes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThemes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSub Themes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat do you think are the research competencies that a UG student should develop?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Understanding Scientific Literature is very essential before anything else\u0026rdquo; - Faculty\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;I would like to understand advanced methods and techniques which will help me in my practice\u0026rdquo; \u0026ndash; Intern\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Students should be able to present and publish basic research studies as it is expected in the CV in the job market\u0026rdquo; \u0026ndash; Alumni\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiterature Review\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvidence Based Dentistry\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConducting Surveys\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublishing Articles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTypes of Literature, Literature search, Search tools\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSystematic Reviews, Meta Analysis\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurvey, Types of studies\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eManuscript writing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf students have to view research as a career option \u0026ndash; what skills will help them?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Research Project demands a lot of field work also which involves data collection, as a fresher we get only field work\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e- Alumni\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Students must be aware of basic skills required in a research associate like literature search and data collection\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e- Faculty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMethods of Data Collection\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTypes of scales\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuestionnaire Design\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eData Entry and Data Coding\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHow much focus should be given to practical training in research?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Learning is doing, so they should really do one project may be under guidance\u0026rdquo; - Faculty\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Like PG students have to do a thesis one project under guidance of a mentor can be considered\u0026rdquo; \u0026ndash; Faculty (PG Guide)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;These days there a lot of impetus on the concept of idea to industry. Students must be given basic information about Innovation and patents also\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e- Intern (Already has a start-up)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInclusion of Research Guided Mentorship Project\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInclusion of \u0026ldquo;Innovation\u0026rdquo; component in the course.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpportunities to publish and present at conferences\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntellectual Property rights and patents\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpportunities to apply for intra mural and extra mural grants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere are a number of computer aided steps in research \u0026ndash; should students know about them all?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Plagiarism is a big issue so yes may be they should know about plagiarism software\u0026rdquo; - Faculty\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Sometimes I think we are behind in basic presentation skills as we don\u0026rsquo;t get any opportunity to hone this, ppt should definitely be taught -it will help to learn how to make charts and graphs\u0026rdquo; \u0026ndash; Student\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Learning how to do stats using software may not be important \u0026ndash; but they should know available options and have basic knowledge of which stats will be applied in which type of study\u0026rdquo; \u0026ndash; Faculty (Institutional Ethical Committee Member)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch Ethics\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBiostatistics\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePresentation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlagiarism\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTypes of Plagiarism\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSoftware for plagiarism\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMS Office \u0026ndash; Excel and PPT\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTests of Significance\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction of SPSS and G Power\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe have tentatively planned to keep the course across first 3 years of BDS \u0026ndash; What do you think of this approach\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Yes Final Year should definitely be left out\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e- Faculty\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Distribution of content into 3 courses across first three years will help make just one year too overloaded\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e- Intern\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;A first year student knows very little about dentistry hence if the course continues till at least three years, it will give them more opportunities to actually apply it\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e- Faculty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJustifying Coherent Concept Development\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eImportance of Keeping the Course as a long-standing Early Intervention.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSyllabus Formulation\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe process of syllabus formulation began on the basis of the themes identified through the qualitative study and cues from literature on research programs implemented in part (Al-Madi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Franz\u0026eacute;n \u0026amp; Brown, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Healey et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Healey \u0026amp; Jenkins, 2009; Van der Groen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). A zero draft of the proposed syllabus, which spans three years, was structured. This included Course Outcomes (CO), content under each CO and Mapping of the COs with the Program Objectives and Program Specific Outcomes of the BDS Curriculum. The first-year syllabus focused on teaching the students the basic tenets of research and conducting simple surveys. The second year focused on driving students towards ideation and innovation in research including aspects of intellectual property rights and patents. The third year aimed to hone the students\u0026rsquo; skills in elaborate research designs and biostatistics including training them in software for statistical analysis. The fundamentals of the research, such as the literature search, manuscript writing, referencing and publication tools were reiterated in all three years. The draft underwent several Delphi rounds which resulted in the formulation of the final syllabus. A copy of the final syllabus is attached as Annexure 1.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSoft Launch of the Course and Feedback\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe course was implemented in August 2019 for the new batch. It was initially decided to launch the subject with only summative assessment (Final University theory examination). Feedback was sought from those teaching the course and from students. The course development committee gathered that in the absence of a formative assessment system, the lack of motivation and focus on the subject was palpable. On the basis of this feedback, the course development team devised year long assessment strategies. Additionally, the Research Guided Mentorship project was introduced as a component of the program to improve the ownership of the course by the students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLaying down evaluation strategies:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth formative and summative evaluation schemes were followed. The factors taken into consideration for Formative Assessment for each year were fifteen assignments, \u003cb\u003ethree\u003c/b\u003e Class tests, \u003cb\u003ethree\u003c/b\u003e Sessional examinations, \u003cb\u003eone\u003c/b\u003e Paper/Poster Presentations in Scientific Conferences, \u003cb\u003eone\u003c/b\u003e Research proposal submitted/ Pitch/ Grant Applications and Publications. Under the Summative Assessment, students were required to give University exams and Viva Voce for the subject each year. All the question papers were designed in alignment with Bloom's Taxonomy principles, incorporating approximately 30% of questions aimed at assessing Higher Order Thinking skills.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMentor Guided Research Project:\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnder this process, the students in the first year of BDS are divided into groups of five and each group is assigned a mentor from the pool of faculty members from medical departments and of dental departments who do not have a postgraduate (PG) program. This faculty pool was chosen because these departments were less research intensive in the absence of a postgraduate program. The groups thus divided were required to formulate a research question under the guidance of their mentor, submit a research protocol to the department of RIC and seek ethical approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee to conduct the research. This submission is a key point of their formative assessment in their first year. Students were then expected to conduct the research project/ survey and publish the paper within the second year. This publication is considered under formative assessment for their second year, among other things. The Mentor Guided Research Project brought a number of advantages to the program, such as hand holding of the student and enabling the first-year student to learn tenets of research practically. There was improvement of Research profile of Departments which are not as research intensive as PG departments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eProvision of Research-Intensive Environment:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe vision of improving the research orientation of students requires a commitment to a research-intensive environment. Students in the RIC course were provided with in-house opportunities to develop their research acumen and research presentation skills. This was done by conducting an annual conference on research and innovation since the inception of the course. These platforms provided an opportunity for our students to network with guest speakers and industry experts to understand real world implementation strategies for their skills acquired as a result of this curriculum. Students were time and again motivated to attend national/ international conferences where they could present their research/idea in the form of scientific papers and posters/ pitching. An overview of their accolades as a result of this course is presented in further sections.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs a part of implementation preparedness, the faculty who were involved in teaching the course or in the mentor-guided research project underwent a 5-day long Faculty Development Program that focused on orienting the mentors toward the inclusion of this new subject.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEvaluation of the Germination of Research Acumen\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter the complete teaching integration of the course in September 2022, that is, when the first batch completed all three university examinations, a quantitative evaluation was performed. The assessment of the implementation of the RIC program was approved by the Institutional Review Board (SRB/FACULTY/11/19/PHD/01).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA questionnaire was designed on the basis of the four domains of the \u0026lsquo;Research Teaching Nexus\u0026rsquo;: Research Led, Research Tutored, Research Oriented and Research Based. Two questionnaires were used, one to assess self-reported students\u0026rsquo; perceptions and the second to assess faculty perceptions of the germination of research acumen among students. There were three questions in the Research Tutored and Research Based categories each and five questions in the Research Oriented and Research Led categories. The questionnaire was assessed on a Likert scale from \u0026ldquo;Strongly agree\u0026rdquo; to \u0026ldquo;Strongly Disagree\u0026rdquo;. Each question was awarded a maximum score of 5 and a minimum score of one. This meant that the maximum score of the two domains was 15 and that of the other two was 25. However, as all four domains are given equal weight, the domains with three questions were recalculated to obtain a mean score out of 25. The questionnaire is available as Annexure 2 with this article.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe data collected were analysed via the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Pearson\u0026rsquo;s correlation test was performed to assess the correlation between the mean scores of the domains with each other. A correlation test was performed between faculty perceptions and student perceptions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eResults of the Evaluation of Research Acumen Germination:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eData were collected from 168 students from all three batches and 40 mentors. The results of the evaluation of Research Acumen Germination revealed that students\u0026rsquo; confidence and competencies in each domain increased as they advanced academically from the 1st year to the 3rd year as is evident in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMore than 95% (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;163) of the students reported that they were confident in reading and understanding scientific literature. Better problem solving, critical thinking capabilities were reported along with improved confidence in the ability to plan and execute research projects. Most of them (98%, n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;167) also reported improved motivation to work toward building a good research profile.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen similar tenets were evaluated by mentors for their students, out of forty, 37 mentors felt that the students were capable of handling scientific literature. Questions assessing research orientation, such as germination of innovation, orientation toward building a good research profile, and willingness to take up more research projects, were all agreed upon by most mentors (n\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;35). Twelve of them also felt that the students needed more exposure to learn about evidence-based research, and ten of them still felt that students needed more training in analyzing different types of articles.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe responses to each question for students and faculty are summarized in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. A comparison of the domain scores reported by the mentors and students revealed that the mentors reported higher scores in all the domains than did the students, indicating a greater level of confidence in their students than in what the students felt (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuestion-wise responses to the evaluation of research acumen in students by students and faculty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuestions\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudents\u0026rsquo; Self Perception (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;168)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFaculty Perception (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;40)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgree\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisagree\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgree\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisagree\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConfident of reading and analyzing literature in a scientific way.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e160\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdequately trained in writing a scientific paper.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e149\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBetter understanding of different types of scientific articles.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e154\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProblem-solving capabilities have improved after being exposed to Research as a subject.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e160\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConfident of conducting evidence-based research\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e148\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConfident of understanding and statistically presenting the data collected in research projects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe RIC curriculum is robust enough to cover all aspects of research methodology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e164\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe curriculum is designed to train students for practical application of concepts learnt\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e162\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLearning the subject has improved confidence of designing and executing research projects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e157\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMotivated to think about new research ideas and innovations and convert them into practical applications.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e158\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeam work skills have improved after being a part of research projects\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e157\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLearning this subject has motivated to take up research projects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e157\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFeel better prepared to handle research problems as compared to my counterparts who have not been exposed to the subject.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e159\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeing exposed to this subject has improved critical thinking.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e160\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt is important to have a good research profile.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e167\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFeel confident of applying for research grants\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e155\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3: Correlations of the scores of all four domains with each other\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Taba\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch Based weighted average\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch Led\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch Oriented\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch Tutored\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e.891\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e**\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e.800\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e**\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e.817\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e**\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP Value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e170\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e170\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e170\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch Based\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.809\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.816\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig. (2-tailed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e170\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e170\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch Led\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e.860\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003e**\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig. (2-tailed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e170\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003eThe ** next to the correlation coefficients indicates that the correlations are statistically significant. In this context, the observed correlations are unlikely to have occurred by chance.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;3 shows the correlation coefficients (Pearson correlation) between the scores of all four domains: \"Research-based weighted average,\" \"Research-led,\" \"Research-oriented,\" and \"Research-tutored weighted average\". The test revealed strong positive correlations of all the domains with each other. These correlations suggest that the scores in the different research domains are closely related and that high performance in one domain tends to be associated with high performance in the other domains..\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eImpact of the Course\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe effective implementation of this course led to an improvement in the research outcomes of the students which are summarized in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e. There has been an exponential increase in student publications and awards won by students for their research. An important aspect of conducting research is also to be able to present it effectively. Our students effectively presented scientific posters and papers both at National Conferences and at in-house conferences conducted by the institute. Overall, improvements in all areas of research were observed, including the acquisition of extramural grants from Indian government bodies such as Department of Science and Technology and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe primary objectives behind implementing this program were to produce graduates likely to apply evidence-based strategies in their clinical practice, to encourage dental graduates to take up research as a career option, to increase the number of Research Qualified Future Faculty and to groom students to be \u0026ldquo;feeder sources\u0026rdquo; for working in research intensive institutions like various ICMR Bodies or other international research bodies (Iacopino et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e; Liu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch teaching in dental schools in India has been practiced thus far in a very sporadic way with a traditional approach; it has been a very small supplementary component to dental education, which may result in one or two paper presentations or a publication. Additionally, this approach is not as effective, as it is limited mainly to postgraduate students and faculty members without engaging undergraduate students. Concepts learned early in life are likely to introduce students to life-changing skills. Under graduate dental students in India spend five years in a dental school, providing ample time to incorporate a research program. This RIC course successful integration highlights the need for a paradigm shift to make research an integral part of dental teaching and a necessary component of clinical practice. There is some documented evidence of such an approach in dental schools around the world (Al-Madi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Amir et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Franz\u0026eacute;n \u0026amp; Brown, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Liu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Van der Groen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). A scoping review by Liu et al, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e summarized and reported a research education-based intervention by a handful of universities in Canada, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Finland, Malaysia, China, Britain, South Africa, Turkey and Pakistan (Liu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). All these universities have implemented research teaching in different ways; for instance, some have kept it as an elective subject, whereas other have chosen to keep it in the compulsory part of the curriculum. However, others have kept it as an optional extracurricular activity. The education goals of these programs run across the spectrum of developing a research question to a literature search, from research design to report writing. The teaching program also varies across these courses, as some have a theoretical course only, and some have complemented it with experimental skills development and mentor-guided research projects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere are no reports in the literature that utilize the concept of \u0026lsquo;Curriculum Integration\u0026rsquo; to include research over a period of three years as a mandatory core subject in dental schools. Curriculum integration aims to engage students in higher education institutions in active learning. In contrast to the concept of gathering knowledge for the sake of knowledge, it aims to enable students to make the most of what they have learned and use it practically to essentially lead better professional lives (Wall \u0026amp; Alisa, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe successful implementation of this program has had several noteworthy outcomes. First, it empowered students with the essential skills and knowledge required for effective engagement in research activities. Over the course of three years, students reported increased confidence in their understanding of scientific literature, improved problem-solving and critical thinking abilities, and heightened motivation to pursue research endeavors. This comprehensive approach has not only enriched their academic experience but also positioned them as future contributors to evidence-based dental practice and innovation (Amir et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Franz\u0026eacute;n \u0026amp; Brown, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Liu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Van der Groen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoreover, the program fostered a culture of research and innovation within the institution. It encourages faculty members to become mentors, guiding students in their research journeys. Faculty mentors recognized the students' growing capabilities and motivation to engage in research, thus reinforcing the value of mentorship in nurturing research acumen (Davis, 2020; Nelson, 2020).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, there are several limitations of this evaluation, which included that the feedback obtained from the students and mentors was based on their own experiences and had no other program/intervention to compare to, as they were exposed to this type of course for the first time. Second, this study did not assess the long-term impact of this curriculum's change in community programs, on students' values, engagement, and potential positive contributions to community health. This evaluation may become possible as graduates of this curriculum engage with the communities they serve over a period of time.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhile the program has achieved significant success, it is essential to acknowledge that the journey toward building research competencies is ongoing. Some areas for improvement were identified, such as the need for additional training in analyzing different types of research articles and evidence-based research methods.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn summary, this research highlights the critical importance of integrating research into the undergraduate dental curriculum. This study highlights how a proactive and innovative approach to curriculum redesign, as exemplified by the Research \u0026amp; Innovation Catalyst (RIC) program, can empower students with the skills and mindset needed to excel in research and innovation. By nurturing a generation of dental professionals who are research-oriented, critical thinkers, and problem solvers, this initiative contributes not only to the improvement of dental education but also to the advancement of evidence-based dental practice and the growth of dental research in India. As the program continues to evolve and adapt, it serves as a valuable model for dental schools and higher education institutions worldwide seeking to prepare their students for a research-intensive future.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e We wish to thank all the faculty members who taught this new course to the students. We thank all the mentors and students for participating in the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors have no financial or proprietary interests in any material discussed in this article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData files available on request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthical approval- The assessment of the implementation of the RIC program was approved by the Institutional Review Board (SRB/FACULTY/11/2019/PHD/01). Participation in this study was voluntary, and all participants received written information prior to the study. Before initiation of the questionnaire, students and mentors provided informed consent.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contribution statements-\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAll authors contributed to the course conception and design. MJ, RS \u0026amp; AG implemented the course. MJ, RS, AS \u0026amp; VJ prepared assessment themes \u0026amp; questionnaire, collected data. MJ and RS outlined the paper and analyzed data. MJ wrote the first draft of the paper, in close collaboration with RS. All authors participated in discussing results, collaborated on drafts of the manuscript, approved the final version for publication, and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAl-Madi, E. M., AlShiddi, M., Al-Saleh, S., \u0026amp; AbdelLatif, H. 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Effects of a Research Requirement for Dental Students: A Retrospective Analysis of Students' Perspectives Across Ten Years. \u003cem\u003eJournal of dental education\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e82\u003c/em\u003e(11), 1171\u0026ndash;1177. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.21815/JDE.018.121\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.21815/JDE.018.121\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWall, A., \u0026amp; Alisa, L. (2017). Curriculum Integration: An Overview. \u003cem\u003eCurrent Issues in Middle Level Education\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e22\u003c/em\u003e(1), 36\u0026ndash;40. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/teach-secondary-facpubs/4\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/teach-secondary-facpubs/4\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"India, advanced dental education, biostatistics and epidemiology, Curriculum infrastructure, educational methodology, educational innovation, dental research, process-oriented guided research learning","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5740799/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5740799/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIntroduction:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhile many dental schools in India still follow traditional assessment systems, some are transitioning to credit-based assessment, allowing the integration of research and evidence-based practices into the curriculum. This research paper outlines a systematic approach taken by a dental school in India to introduce a research-teaching course for undergraduate dental students, named the \"Research \u0026amp; Innovation Catalyst (RIC).\" The course aims to establish a comprehensive research teaching nexus in the dental curriculum from the early years.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMethodology:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe curriculum was redesigned to incorporate outcome-based education and a choice-based credit system. Inputs from all the stakeholders were taken to create the dental undergraduate curriculum, ensuring alignment with the Dental Council of India (DCI) guidelines. The RIC course was introduced as an addition to the mandatory requirements of the DCI and was structured to teach research methodologies, survey techniques, ideation, innovation, intellectual property rights, and biostatistics over the first three years of graduation. A course development team conducted qualitative needs assessments involving experts, students, alumni, and faculty members. The syllabus was formulated on the basis of identified themes from needs assessment, and literature, and was subjected to Delphi rounds by a course development team. Both formative and summative evaluations were implemented, including assignments, tests, paper presentations, and viva voce examinations. Students practically learnt research principles through the mentor-guided research project.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResults:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn evaluation after three years of complete implementation of the designed course revealed that students' confidence and competencies in research domains increased as they progressed through the program. The students reported improved skills in scientific literature comprehension, problem-solving, critical thinking, and motivation to construct a research profile. Faculty members expressed confidence in their students' abilities but suggested additional exposure to evidence-based research and diverse types of articles.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe successful implementation of the RIC course has the potential to increase research competence among dental undergraduates. This initiative contributes to producing dental graduates capable of applying research-based strategies in clinical practice and pursuing research careers, ultimately fostering research-oriented dental professionals.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Building research competencies in undergraduate dental students: Effective implementation of a three-year research program in the curriculum at an Indian dental school","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-01-02 10:47:43","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5740799/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"98d19ae5-af64-41e5-aaa2-3725bab6033f","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 2nd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-01-09T00:38:18+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-01-02 10:47:43","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5740799","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5740799","identity":"rs-5740799","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}