Design for change

‘Online Dental Technology Community’

Introduction

‘I have the intention to develop and establish an on-line Dental technology Community. The idea is to allow like-minded individuals within the Dental Technology Field (Professionals, Academics & Students) to share resources & knowledge. As the community grows it will allow Students to find relevant information for their assignments and help keep Professionals at the fore front of their field.’

Background – Key Changes

The field of Dental Technology is rapidly changing and evolving. The number of universities in Britain that teach Dental Technology to a Degree level has dwindled to just two, Cardiff and Manchester. With a few other institutions that offer qualifications such as Hnd's and Hnc's. This has happened largely because it was not necessary for Dental Technicians that work in Private Labs to be either qualified or registered. However, a recent change in the law now means that Dental Technicians have to be qualified and registered with the British Dental Association. That means inevitably more institutions will have to teach Dental Technology to Degree standard again.

Development

My girlfriend, along with several friends are all Dental Technicians. I know from their experiences that there is a lack of Information & communication available on the World Wide Web and amongst their peers.

Furthermore, I became aware that on Wednesday (21/02/2007) Jeffery Lewis, Senior Lecturer & Head of Dental Technology at Cardiff's School of Health Sciences (UWIC, Llandaff) attended a meeting concerned with the lack of communication & sharing of resources within the Dental Technology field.

After having a meeting with Jeff, It is now my intention to work with several members of the Dental Technology School at UWIC and Manchester Metropolitan University to provide a useful and above all practical solution to these problems.

Research – Web 2.0

After searching through a large array of websites, Wikia communities proved to be the most appropriate source to draw inspiration from. Some of the features I found to be particularly useful & would appeal to it’s users include -

• Free Community support

• Freely licensed content

• File upload features allows to upload graphics or sound files

• Easy to edit, promoting user interaction.

• Customizable site style and navigation, promoting individuality.

• Databases download available so your data can never be locked into the site, ensuring the information remains free to the user.

• Completely open site. No annoying hidden pages or login required. Meaning the site is user friendly & encourages browsing of resources.

WHY would people want to use this particular technology?

Users & Contributors to online communities are motivated by –

• The information they can obtain.

• Increased reputation and a sense of having an effect, as well as a sense of community.

WHAT would they want to do with the technology?

An online community would allow those within the field to –

• Discuss & exchange information with ease.

• Listen to Pod-casts.

• Stream Videos.

• Acquire contacts. Bring students, academics & professionals closer together.

Initial Contacts

• Jeff Lewis

Head of Centre for Dental Technology, UWIC, Cardiff.

• Chris Maryan

Head of centre at Manchester Metropolitan University.

• Mark Gilbert

Lecturer at MMU and Chair of BIDST.

Associations Contacted

• Pete Gough, Webmaster

Orthodontic Technicians Association

• Sue Adams, Secretary

Dental Technologists Association

• Claire Poole

Dental Laboratories Association

• Mark Gilbert

British Institute of Dental and Surgical Technologists

P.E.S.T. Analysis

l Political Analysis

Large-scale political decisions and actions have a direct impact on small-scale/individual consumer behavior. As a recent example, terrorist activity and overseas conflict have had an obvious impact on worldwide tourism.

A recent change in the law now means that Dental Technicians have to be qualified and registered with the British Dental Association. Therefore more institutions will have to teach Dental Technology to Degree standard again.

Furthermore, there need within the field for better communication.

l Economic Analysis

The rise and fall of any economy is cyclical, and will always affect different sections of public life in different ways.

Despite the drive for big profits in technology, there is a counter movement that is making software and hardware more accessible to the user ‘Virtual communities.’ Various online media (i.e. Wikis, Blogs, Chat rooms, Internet forums, Electronic mailing lists) are becoming ever greater knowledge-sharing resources. Many of these communities are highly cooperative and establish their own unique culture. They also involve significant time from contributors with no monetary gain.

l Social Analysis

Websites such as Wikia, Blogger, Myspace do not deliver services in a vacuum. They are social phenomena which provide important focus for different communities, individuals, institutions, organizations, businesses and so on. Large-scale social trends such as the Open Source Initiative provide a significant opportunity for audience participation & sharing of information. Awareness of these developments, and the ability to tailor services to address them, is an important factor in the sustainability of my product.

l Technological Analysis

New media, and particularly the Internet, have had a dramatic impact on consumer behavior and expectation. Users and visitors expect to be able to interact with an organization remotely, and often look to libraries, archives and universities to extend their real-world credibility and service provision into the digital domain.

The other major impact of new media in this context is the way in which information is increasingly being delivered in bite-sized pieces. As the pace of technological change increases and the channels of content grow exponentially, consumers are less willing to engage with in-depth or academic research into a single subject. All of these factors will have an influence both on the delivery of my final product and on the ways in which it is marketed.

Future Development

I fully intend to design & develop this project all the way to a finished product. However, as the project deadline is Friday 09/03/2007, I will have to return to this project at a later date. Below is a list of the next steps I need to take in developing the online community -

• Develop questionnaires to be sent out to all those concerned to help obtain an understanding of what features (such as Pod-casts, Videos, Question/ Answer sections etc) users would find most useful.

• Decide which software or website would be the best place to host the community.

• Further promote the community & find other initial contributors and administrators.

• Create a Mission statement.

Scenario - "Community in practise."

A Fable for all Dental Technicians