I am so excited to be back in the classroom with you guys I can hardly contain myself!

Here’s a quick summary of how this course will work. Our website remains the same (DentalStudentPathology.com) only now you’ll use the Systemic Pathology dropdown menu instead of the General Pathology one.

Content. In General Pathology, we talked about the ways things can go wrong in the body (injury, infection, immune dysfunction, neoplasia) and also the general mechanisms the body uses to fix these problems (tissue repair, inflammation, immune responses). This created a nice little brick foundation for your pathology house!

In Systemic Pathology, we’re going to add floors and rooms to the house. The course is organized into organ systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, etc.), and in each system, we’ll cover the abnormalities and diseases that are most relevant for your future practice (and for boards).

Format. This course has the same components as General Path:

• Lectures: Lots of lectures. All of our lectures will be recorded, and I’ll post the recordings on our schedule page as soon as I get them (usually the same day as the lecture).
• Quizzes: We’ll do these in class, using Kahoot (when I’m there – see more about this on our schedule page). You’ll be able to talk with each other and use your notes, like you did in General Path.
• Exam reviews: Same thing: in-class Kahoots. Only with exam reviews, there are prizes for first, second, and third place. The prizes this year are pretty cool…I just stopped at Dick Blick and have a bunch of interesting and odd things (yay!).
• Exams: Exams have changed since our last class together. We’re now required to have them in the classroom, during exam time (except for people with accommodations – and just a heads up – please reach out to me if you have accommodations so I can be sure I have everyone on my list). We’ll use Canvas and Honorlock, and I’ll proctor the exam in person. You’ll need to remember to bring your privacy screen for whatever device you’ll be using. The exception to this rule is for online exams – and since I will be out of the country for our first exam, that exam will be delivered using Canvas and Honorlock, only we’ll enable remote proctoring settings in Honorlock. You still need to take the exam during class time; you can use our classroom if you like (it will be free during that time), or another quiet room without distractions that will set off alarm bells in the proctoring software. We’ll talk about this a lot and also do a quick mock exam before I leave so we can be comfortable that things will work on exam day.

Grades. We’ll have three quizzes and four exams. At the end of the course, I’ll add all your quiz and exam points together (no weighting of exams or anything) to give you a final score for the course. Grades will be determined as follows:

• A = final scores greater than or equal to 90% of total course points
• B = scores between 80% and 90% of total course points
• C = scores between 70% and 80% of total course points

Also, I just want to remind you that I’m still your “mom.” Dental school is fun and interesting…but it is also really hard and overwhelming. You need to take care of yourself.  So I’ll be checking in with you from time to time to see how you’re doing, and to remind you that I am here for you. If you need to vent, or want advice, or just need to know that you’re not alone, email me. We can stick with email, or we can do Zoom, or we can meet in person. Whatever feels best to you. I mean it. You are not alone.