‘Getting to know you – interviews with first year students in the School of Dentistry and Oral Health (DOH) in 2008’

Abstract

The First Year students studying Dental Technology, Oral Health Therapy (OHT) and Dental Science (DSc) spend Semester 1 at the Parklands campus. They study at the Centre for Medicine and Oral at Southport in Semester 2 for one course only. 2007 saw a high failure rate (21/101 first year students) which did not auger well for our recruitment and retention (R&R) statistics when compared with similar programs in Australia. Lower R&R rates have an impact on funding for Griffith University. To try and reduce the first year failure rate in 2008 and to improve the R&R rate, the First Year Advisor sent out an email invitation to meet face-to-face with the 137 First Years in Semester 1. This idea was borrowed from Dr Ricardo Simeoni from Physiotherapy and Exercise Science in the Health Group at Griffith University.