Touchstone, a new online tool for dental professionals, was introduced to the U.K. dental community on February 3 at an event sponsored by the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK).
Touchstone is the FGDP(UK)'s online portfolio for all members and those registered with the organizations education programs, study groups, and assessments. It is designed to provide a central place for recording and evaluating all continuing professional development (CPD) activity and evidence, and is free for all FGDP(UK) members and course participants.
According to the FGDP(UK), Touchstone will make it easier for dental professionals to:
- Manage CPD activity
- Present learning, achievements, and goals as part of performance reviews
- Provide comprehensive submissions to meet current and future requirements
- Record evidence and progress, evaluate outcomes, and reflect on achievements for course submissions or practice appraisals
- Share ideas, facilitate group discussions, and upload presentations and meeting records
- Build curricula vitae and prepare for job interviews
- Link to related online resources
Users own the information they record on Touchstone and can choose what they wish to share with others, the organization noted. In addition, Touchstone can be accessed from any PC or via an iPhone.
The next stage for Touchstone is to build the user base. From about 300 users on the pilot phase, the FGDP(UK) hopes to increase the number of users to more than 2,000 by the end of 2011.
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