Grantee: AAO

Award: $4,950 Registration Fee and Travel Stipend

Application Deadline: March 1, 2009

Web address: www.aaomembers.org/mtgs/grants/aal.cfm

Eligibility:

• U.S. and Canadian citizens; OR
• Foreign nationals who possess a U.S. “green card” or its Canadian equivalent; OR
• Foreign nationals not yet in possession of U.S. “green card” or its Canadian equivalent, as long as the candidate and the institution will stipulate that obtaining such status is the candidate’s intention, and there is demonstrable evidence of this intent.
• Student/resident and/or faculty with good standing at a U.S. or Canadian ADA-accredited orthodontic graduate program
• Good academic standing as verified by submission of an orthodontic program transcript and a minimum of three letters of recommendation
• Member of the American Association of Orthodontists
• Agree to complete an annual survey to track their academic career path post-AAL participation.
• Agreement to remain as a full-time orthodontic faculty member for a minimum of one year following participation in the AALSP.

Description:

AAL is a professional development program designed to prepare dental practitioners and educators for successful academic careers, conducted in collaboration with the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).

Participants receive hands-on experience with key teacher tasks such as evaluating student competence, presenting lectures, working with difficult students, guiding students with questions, and providing feedback. Participants also explore cognitive theories, learn strategies to enhance motivation, review research on educational best practices, explore student learning styles, analyze the characteristics of today’s Generation Y, and complete teaching self-assessments. Sessions on academic career planning, quality of faculty work-life, getting started with research, writing manuscripts, strategies for getting published and issues, controversies, and future directions in dental education are also included.

AAO will sponsor junior faculty participation in the 2009 Academy of Academic Leadership selected from those nominated by the orthodontic programs. Each candidate must have a signed contract for a full-time orthodontic teaching position at an accredited orthodontic graduate program and have potential as orthodontic educators.