Can performance on summative evaluation of wax-added dental anatomy projects be better predicted from the combination of supervised and unsupervised practice than from supervised practice alone?

Purpose The study explored the effects of adding student‐directed projects in pre‐clinical dental anatomy laboratory on improving the predictability of students’ eventual performance on summative evaluation exercises, given the presence of intervening faculty‐controlled, in‐class practice. Method All students from four consecutive classes (n = 555) completed wax‐added home projects (HP), spending as much or as little time as desired and receiving no faculty feedback; followed by similar laboratory projects (LP) with time limits and feedback; and then summative practical projects (PP) in a timed format but without faculty feedback. Path analysis was used to assess if the student‐directed HP had any effect over and above the laboratory projects. Results Average scores were HP = 0.785 (SD = 0.089); LP = 0.736 (SD = 0.092); and PP = 0.743 (SD = 0.108). Path analysis was applied to show the effects of including a student‐controlled home practice exercise on summative exercise performance. HP contributed 57% direct effect and 37% mediated effect through the LP condition. Conclusion Student‐directed home practice provided a measureable improvement in ability to predict eventual performance in summative test cases over and above the predictive contribution of intervening faculty‐controlled practice conditions.