BACKGROUND: During the acute coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, physical access to the University Medical Center Göttingen was restricted for students. For the first time at our dental school, theoretical knowledge was taught to students in asynchronous online screencasts and discussed via synchronous video meetings only. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the acceptance and effectiveness of distance education as a new teaching format for theoretical knowledge within the preclinical course in Operative Dentistry (sixth semester of the undergraduate dental curriculum in Germany). METHODS: The phantom course comprised distance education (first phase, 11 weeks) and subsequent on-site practical demonstrations and training (second phase, 10 weeks). All theoretical knowledge was taught in online screencasts during distance education (except for the first week, 3 screencasts were uploaded per week resulting in a total number of 30 screencasts). Until the end of the term, all students (N=33) were able to view the screencasts for an unlimited number of times. Theoretical knowledge was assessed in a summative examination after practical on-site teaching. Acceptance and effectiveness of the new curriculum and distance education were also measured based on an evaluation survey and students' self-perceived learning outcome and compared to the outcome from the two pre-COVID-19 terms. RESULTS: On average, each screencast was viewed by 24.0±3.3 students and accessed 5.6±1.2 times. During distance education, the number of accesses showed a linear trend over time. During the practical training phase, screencast views declined and increased again prior to the examination. Screencasts in Cariology / Restorative Dentistry / Preventive Dentistry were viewed by more students than screencasts in Endodontology or Periodontology (P=.047). Examination items in Periodontology showed inferior results compared to the other topics (P<.001). Within the different topics, students' self-perceived learning outcome did not differ from pre-COVID-19. While most students agreed that the presented screencasts contributed to their learning outcome, pre-COVID-19 students rated more strongly that lectures significantly contributed to their learning outcome (P=.03). CONCLUSIONS: Screencasts showed a high acceptance and effectiveness but were not used by all students as a learning tool. However, students who viewed the screencasts accessed each screencast more frequently than they could have visited a conventional lecture. Screencast view was mostly due to intrinsic motivation.
BACKGROUND: During the acute coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, physical access to the University Medical Center Göttingen was restricted for students. For the first time at our dental school, theoretical knowledge was taught to students in asynchronous online screencasts and discussed via synchronous video meetings only. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the acceptance and effectiveness of distance education as a new teaching format for theoretical knowledge within the preclinical course in Operative Dentistry (sixth semester of the undergraduate dental curriculum in Germany). METHODS: The phantom course comprised distance education (first phase, 11 weeks) and subsequent on-site practical demonstrations and training (second phase, 10 weeks). All theoretical knowledge was taught in online screencasts during distance education (except for the first week, 3 screencasts were uploaded per week resulting in a total number of 30 screencasts). Until the end of the term, all students (N=33) were able to view the screencasts for an unlimited number of times. Theoretical knowledge was assessed in a summative examination after practical on-site teaching. Acceptance and effectiveness of the new curriculum and distance education were also measured based on an evaluation survey and students' self-perceived learning outcome and compared to the outcome from the two pre-COVID-19 terms. RESULTS: On average, each screencast was viewed by 24.0±3.3 students and accessed 5.6±1.2 times. During distance education, the number of accesses showed a linear trend over time. During the practical training phase, screencast views declined and increased again prior to the examination. Screencasts in Cariology / Restorative Dentistry / Preventive Dentistry were viewed by more students than screencasts in Endodontology or Periodontology (P=.047). Examination items in Periodontology showed inferior results compared to the other topics (P<.001). Within the different topics, students' self-perceived learning outcome did not differ from pre-COVID-19. While most students agreed that the presented screencasts contributed to their learning outcome, pre-COVID-19 students rated more strongly that lectures significantly contributed to their learning outcome (P=.03). CONCLUSIONS: Screencasts showed a high acceptance and effectiveness but were not used by all students as a learning tool. However, students who viewed the screencasts accessed each screencast more frequently than they could have visited a conventional lecture. Screencast view was mostly due to intrinsic motivation.
Authors: Maximilian Riedel; Gabriel Eisenkolb; Niklas Amann; Anne Karge; Bastian Meyer; Maria Tensil; Florian Recker; Anna Maria Dobberkau; Fabian Riedel; Bettina Kuschel; Evelyn Klein Journal: Arch Gynecol Obstet Date: 2021-12-28 Impact factor: 2.344