Japanese dental students’ perceptions of videoconferencing lectures in the global classroom

Abstract

Purpose: Research-informed teaching is a crucial component of university education, and exposure to lectures by world scientists is one way to motivate undergraduate students to develop the future of dentistry. This study aimed to examine dental students' perceptions of international videoconferencing lectures on basic/clinical research, as well as Japanese dental students' perceptions of the use of videoconferencing lectures in large classes. Methods:We administered a questionnaire survey to senior undergraduate students in dental schools that participated in videoconferencing lectures in 2015/2016 in Japan (n=92) and Indonesia (n=175) and analyzed the data quantitatively and qualitatively.Results: Half of the Japanese and Indonesian students reported being motivated by the presence of foreign dental students in the videoconferencing lectures although there were significant differences between the Japanese and Indonesian students on the English ability. Japanese students were divided into six clusters according to their general evaluation of the lectures, their English abilities, and their understanding of the lecture topics.Conclusion: Overall, many undergraduate dental students reported being motivated by international videoconferencing lectures in large classes. Therefore, using international videoconferencing lectures on basic/clinical research, while overcoming the limited English abilities of the participants, could serve as an effective instructional method for Japanese dental students.