Strategic Plan

(proposed until validated)

We recently presented a proposed plan for the School of Dentistry. A summary of this plan is below:

The factors that were considered while planning were:

• Analyses of current state of the school/department and the university including people and the ‘what we heard’ report.

• Alignment to our mission and vision - why we are here.

• Leverage - what we have done already that we can build on.

• Future state – where we need to be in the next few years.

The biggest proposed change is to increase efforts in the area of digital transformation more specifically, to build and formalize a structure so projects can be prioritized and managed with purpose, transparency and intent. We will align with the university’s recently announced technology with purpose strategy to stay relevant in a fast-changing digital world, while in a resource-constrained environment.

In teaching and learning, we will enhance our programs by developing and implementing a robust peer-review program for teaching evaluation and ensure students have necessary clinical experiences to achieve competency i.e., monitor the impacts of the Canadian Dental Care Plan and continue to improve the patient intake process. The school will also plan for the transition and adoption of a new learning management system as Moodle (eClass) will be phased out for all academic courses by Fall 2025.

In the DDS program, building out phase 4 of the DDS curriculum renewal is underway. The activities within this phase consist of:

• Methods and timelines for collection of critical evaluation data

• Evaluation steps, stages and timelines

• Individual and Committee roles in support of the curriculum evaluation process

• A process to recommend, review, approve and manage curriculum change

This work will define an evaluation framework for the future and inform the approach to current curriculum change interests/needs. Please view the 9-minute video recorded by Dr. Steve Patterson here: https://ualberta.yuja.com/V/Video?v=1018927&node=5445590&a=6771173.  There will be opportunities to provide feedback on phase 4 development at the end of April.

In research and innovation, we will focus on enhancing our research portfolio by cultivating a culture that emphasizes externally funded high-impact research, collaborating with experts in other disciplines to address complex oral health issues, and pursuing national and international research initiatives when and where possible. 

The proposed strategic plan is taking a pragmatic approach given our constraints with resourcing, budget and time.

We would appreciate your thoughts on this proposed plan. On the side bar, you will find all the related links including a google form for you to comment/validate your thoughts.