The Dental Educational Environment of Online and Blended Learning during COVID-19, and the Impact on the Future of Dental Education

Abstract

Blending face-to-face and online learning should create a focused environment that supports deep and meaningful teaching and learning that engages learners in a more active and collaborative educational experience. The present study aimed to evaluate students’ online and blended learning educational environment self-perception at the Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Undergraduate dental students who participated in blended learning with online lectures were invited to participate. The sample was a non-probability convenient sample, which included all clinical dental students invited to participate, who were enrolled in the fifth, sixth, and seventh (clinical year) years. All 69 students in these three clinical years were invited to participate. Electronic consent to participate and a self-administered questionnaire of two parts were completed. Part one of the questionnaire utilized the five subscales of the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire; part two was developed in addition to evaluate the online teaching and learning subscales. Results: Descriptive statistics and analyses of variance were performed; Pearson correlations were made between the additional supplemental online teaching subscale and the original DREEM subscales. The mean students’ perception of the teacher was high, followed by the academic self-perception and then the learning perception. Students’ social self-perceptions had the lowest reported scores. Students’ perceptions varied by year of education in all subscales except for the online domain. In comparing all domains (DREEM and the online component), graduating students (final year) had a more favorable perception than other students. Conclusions: Within the limitations of the present study, online and blended learning were positively perceived, excluding the social self-perception and the perception that the online teaching time was not well used.

Students’ Experience of Online Learning in a Blended Learning Setting: A Qualitative Evaluation

“…Regardless of the apparent challenges of online and blended learning, students also see the potential benefits and would like to capitalize on the opportunities that the pandemic has presented to improve their educational environment [10].…”

“…The Joint Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research of the Health Science Center, Kuwait, provided ethical approval. A quantitative portion of this study was published, and now we are providing the data and analysis of the qualitative component [10].…”

“…Although researchers' triangulation was present, method triangulation was absent since only a qualitative method was used in this study. The initial intention was to have a mixed-method analysis of this study; however, the data that was produced was too large to include in one publication, hence we published the quantitative part separately [10].…”

The Impact of a Web-Based Restorative Dentistry Course on the Learning Outcomes of Dental Graduates: Pre-Experimental Study

“…Several universities and dental schools worldwide have integrated web-based education into their dental programs, acknowledging its advantages and potential to enhance patient health care outcomes through a patient-centered approach and continuous learning [ 17 - 19 ]. However, while web-based learning offers numerous advantages, careful consideration of technical and pedagogical factors is essential to ensure its effectiveness.…”

Perceptions of Online Learning Implementation in Dental Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study of Dental School Faculty Members in Southeast Asia

“…Throughout this educational journey, students acquire psychomotor skills while upholding an appropriate level of personal values (including professionalism), as well as the underlying theories and concepts of relevant disciplines. The improvement and development of problem-solving skills, critical thinking, reflective practice, and the capacity to forge dynamic relationships with patients and teams are further components of the journey [ 1 ]. Previous studies addressing dental education challenges during the COVID-19 period included infrastructure, access to pre-clinical and clinical training, the mode of examinations, and graduation requirements [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”