We Work Together...We Learn Together

Community of Inquiry at CDI

Learning Principles

Learning is not Done in Isolation

Learning is never done in isolation. We each need each other to help us modify our ideas, clear up our confusion, and correct our misconceptions. The human brain is designed to encode what we hear and see and to move information from our short-term memory into long-term storage. Learning scientists have long known that humans need to revisit information by retrieving the information from our memory stores. 

At CDI, our educational system is designed to help you traverse the learning process in a way that makes it durable. Our students will learn in authentic situations, receive appropriate, actionable feedback, and watch their knowledge and skill sets mature as they prepare to move into their chosen practice type.

Communities of Inquiry

Communities of Inquiry are groups of learners that are joined together through a common interest set. In the residency program, our learners are associated through their residency and its requirements. Our instructors serve as facilitators of student learning. This is accomplished by making sure that our community discussions follow an authentic thread, that they are conducted in a mutually respectful manner, that they are centered around real-world problems, and that they are full of student interaction to magnify their learning potential.

Growing Knowledge in a Group

The format of our learning community is conducted through web conferencing tools and face-to-face meetings. Our topics include case presentations and discussions about the current practice of dentistry. Through these opportunities, we hope to assist our Residents in honing their communication skills, critical thinking skills, research skills, and development of lifelong learning habits.

COI Format

We work together...we learn together

Communities of Inquiry Meetings

Our Communities of Inquiry are designed to help you maximize your durable learning. We will conduct meetings through web conferencing software that will allow everyone to participate. During web conferencing, we expect our Residents to be active participants. This is required meeting times and failure to attend and participate in meetings will result in a warning. Remember, our program requires participation to be awarded the GPR Certificate at the conclusion of the year.

The meeting format will vary from instructor led discussions to Resident case presentations. The goal is to help you learn from others and their treatment difficulties and successes. We strive to keep everyone engaged in the learning process and we expect 85% attendance at these meetings.

Below are some tips for successful engagement in the COI:

    Be on time


    Be prepared to engage in the discussions


    Be prepared and practiced if you are presenting


    Respect each other by limiting communication to one speaker at a time


    Come with a growth mindset


    Ask questions for clarification