The use of independent, interactive media for education in dental morphology.

Educational researchers have argued for the addition of new technologies to enhance or replace traditional dental education modalities to more effectively engage and appeal to the new generation of dental students. Two- and three-dimensional interactive media technology is now available for implementation into curricula to teach to a next-generation paradigm. The purpose of this study was to analyze the introduction of a unique, online, totally independent learning module for dental morphology instruction, completely replacing the traditional classroom teaching of the topic, and to determine the relationship between its use and parameters depicting success in learning dental morphology. In particular, the authors hypothesized that the novice, preclinical dental student can learn dental morphology independently and efficiently this way. One-third of a 2010-11 first-year class of dental students were given an independent, interactive media module for the instruction of dental morphology. The remaining members of the class experienced the traditional course with classroom lectures. At the end of the module, a written examination and survey were given to both groups. The major findings were that the independent, interactive media module was just as effective as the traditional classroom method for successful dissemination of foundational knowledge in dental morphology; the independent study group performed significantly better on the didactic examination; the online module positively engaged the students; and students preferred the interactive media module but did not regard it as a total replacement for the traditional course.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes