Rapid transition to distance learning due to COVID-19: Perceptions of postgraduate dental learners and instructors.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Rad FA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7870061 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundDental technologies have increasingly been implemented in orthodontic practice to offer better experiences for orthodontists and patients, however, there is no scientific evidence yet whether which technologies should be implemented into the postgraduate programs.ObjectivesTo investigate perceptions of orthodontic residents toward the confidence and importance of dental technologies, as well as to determine their necessity in postgraduate programs.Materials and methodsThe online questionnaire was designed to collect data from residents from all accredited orthodontic postgraduate programs in Thailand. The questionnaire consisted of four sections, which were (1) demographic data, (2) self-perceived importance of orthodontic technologies, (3) self-perceived confidence toward orthodontic technologies, and (4) the necessity of orthodontic technologies in postgraduate programs. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, and a chi-square test.ResultsIntraoral scanner was found to be an orthodontic technology with the highest scores for both self-perceived importance (4.37 ± 0.59) and confidence (4.23 ± 0.75), followed by cone-beam computed tomography, digital treatment planning software, and lab-produced aligners. These orthodontic technologies were also considered as mandatory in orthodontic postgraduate programs. CAD/CAM technologies appeared to be least important, and their training may be arranged as short course training. There was no significant influence of training locations on the necessity of all orthodontic technologies (P > 0.05), except CBCT. Self-perceived importance and confidence in all technologies were found to have significant positive correlations (P < 0.05), except teledentistry and in-office aligners.ConclusionOrthodontic technologies were perceived as important in clinical workflow. Intraoral Scanners, CBCT, digital treatment planning software, lab-produced aligners, and digital modeling software appeared to be necessary for clinical practice and should be considered for orthodontic postgraduate programs, while other technologies may be arranged as short course training. Further research should investigate how to arrange and organize training sessions in orthodontic postgraduate programs.
| S-EPMC10474673 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Abstract Engagement involves students’ investment in learning activities, as well as interrelated affective (emotive responses), behavioral (active responses), and cognitive (mental effort) components. This study assessed undergraduate student and instructor perceptions of the interrelated components of engagement during and after the rapid online transition of teaching in March 2020 due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Fifteen courses—including laboratory, discussion‐based, large lecture, tutorial, and problem‐based learning—within a multi‐disciplinary faculty at a large research‐intensive Canadian university were surveyed to: (a) assess student and instructor perceptions of students’ levels of engagement during and after the rapid transition to online teaching due to the COVID‐19 pandemic; (b) describe which aspects of engagement were enhanced or diminished due to the rapid online transition; and (c) identify which learning activities students would find most engaging in an online setting so as to assist in developing student‐centered online pedagogical techniques. Student engagement was lower after the rapid online transition. Students who engaged by connecting with peers and instructors through in‐class discussion (affective engagement) had diminished engagement, whereas students who engaged by listening to lectures, reading course materials, and reviewing slides (cognitive engagement) had enhanced engagement. Overall, students found synchronous activities more engaging. Students experienced positive and negative outcomes related to classroom engagement when transitioning rapidly to online learning during a global pandemic.
| S-EPMC7995165 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Introduction:According to rapid growth of innovation in use of technologies in education and learning, blended learning has become an effective method in the student's education. The purpose of this study was to extract the factors related to effective blended learning and compare the viewpoints of students and instructors in this regard. Methods:Mixed method model was used in this study. A content analysis approach was employed in the qualitative phase of the study. Seven faculty members and eight master's students of medical sciences selected through purposive sampling participated in the qualitative phase. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. In the quantitative phase, appropriate and relevant items were designed based on the main concepts of theoretical and practical definitions that were extracted in the qualitative phase. Results:The results of the qualitative phase were 5 categories and 40 subcategories, including student's capabilities, teacher merits, technological aspects, pedagogic topics and supportive environment. Discussion:The results of the questionnaire analysis showed no significant difference in student capabilities and supportive environment between the viewpoints of students and faculty members while there were significant differences in other categories. Although new technologies have offered promising opportunities, they do not result in effective education. The results of the present study suggest that a major revision in student and instructor admission and provision of required technical facilities can promote the status of this type of education. On the other hand, instructor empowerment programs in this field can enhance the effectiveness of virtual education.
| S-EPMC7083639 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe aim of the study was to analyze the perception of dental faculties students regarding the complete transition to distance-based education (DE) and the adaptation of this educational strategy, due to Covid-19 pandemic. A questionnaire to be completed anonymously was submitted online to students attending the faculties of Dentistry and Oral Hygiene at Sapienza, University of Rome, after the end of distance lessons. The collected data were processed statistically, providing descriptive data and analysis of correlation of the most significant parameters, using Chi-squared test, Cramér V and Pearson φ2, Goodman and Kruskal's γ and λ and Kendall's τb. The level of statistical significance was p < 0.05.ResultsA total of 314 students participated in the survey. The overall level of satisfaction on a ten- point scale was 5.39 ± 2.59 for Oral Hygiene students and 6.15 ± 2.98 for Dentistry students. The most common complaints were the lack of a structured online curriculum, less interaction with professors and a lower level of attention. On the basis of the responses, scored using Likert-type Scale, oral Hygiene students reported statistically higher level of physical fatigue(p = 0.0189), a lower level of attention (p = 0.0136) and of the quality and quantity of acquired knowledge during distance education (p = 0.0392), compared to Dentistry students. Level of perceived stress and quality and quantity of acquired knowledge (γ = 0.81 and τb =0.56) and quality and quantity of acquired knowledge and fear of a decrease in knowledge (γ = 0.76 and τb =0.54) are associated variables.ConclusionStudents' feedback is essential to solve the key issues emerged from the questionnaire. New educational models should be define in order to ensure that distance education could be effective, meeting the learning needs of the students, and could not be a merely "online shift" of traditional methods, used as an alternative of live education.
| S-EPMC8327040 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Understanding when learning begins is critical for identifying the factors that shape both the developmental course and the function of information acquisition. Until recently, sufficient development of the neural substrates for any sort of vocal learning to begin in songbirds was thought to be reached well after hatching. New research shows that embryonic gene activation and the outcome of vocal learning can be modulated by sound exposure in ovo. We tested whether avian embryos across lineages differ in their auditory response strength and sound learning in ovo, which we studied in vocal learning (Maluridae, Geospizidae) and vocal non-learning (Phasianidae, Spheniscidae) taxa. While measuring heart rate in ovo, we exposed embryos to (i) conspecific or heterospecific vocalizations, to determine their response strength, and (ii) conspecific vocalizations repeatedly, to quantify cardiac habituation, a form of non-associative learning. Response strength towards conspecific vocalizations was greater in two species with vocal production learning compared to two species without. Response patterns consistent with non-associative auditory learning occurred in all species. Our results demonstrate a capacity to perceive and learn to recognize sounds in ovo, as evidenced by habituation, even in species that were previously assumed to have little, if any, vocal production learning. This article is part of the theme issue 'Vocal learning in animals and humans'.
| S-EPMC8419567 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: ELT scenario in Saudi Arabia has undergone a sea change since the pandemic. With an aim to maximize resource utilization and ensure wide learner base, college students (male and female) are taught simultaneously, the former in a face-to-face mode and the latter in an audio-only mode. The nomenclature given to this unique classroom design by the researchers is Lateral Multimodal Learning (LML), one which has its own advantages and disadvantages. This mode of learning puts a great deal of pressure on the teachers as they must attend to a huge number of students with different needs and levels of competence, whereas it ensures best utilization of infrastructural and human resources by the administrations. Being a newly developed educational model, it is important to assess the efficiency of this type of learning. Methods : This study evaluates the model from the point of view of students (99), using a questionnaire, and that of teachers (06), using semi-structured interviews. Results : The results show that Saudi female students present high perceptions of learning via LML (M=4.03); are satisfied with this type of learning (M= 3.81) and the aids applied in learning via LML (M= 4.02). Findings also show moderate perceptions on the difficulties they encountered while emerging in LML mode (M =3.39). Furthermore, the study shows correlation between the four domains, i.e., perceptions, satisfactions, challenges, and aid. The highest correlations were between perceptions and satisfactions (r=.719); perceptions and aids (r=.659), and satisfaction and aids (r=.656). The teachers' interviews show their agreement on the efficacy of LML as being professionally fulfilling and one that they would like to continue with in the future too. Conclusions: The study concludes with recommendations, which would be of great benefit and help for all parties or stakeholders involved.
| S-EPMC9034168 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of six international and mature online learners studying on an undergraduate psychology course to identify barriers and facilitators to studying online. A secondary aim was to deductively explore the applicability of the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behaviour model to participants' narratives related to self-regulated online learning. Online interviews with six demographically diverse participants were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The overarching theme was 'the balancing act of online learners', which consisted of three major themes (and respective subthemes): (1) 'identity as an online learner' ('in today's world, we're all very busy'), (2) 'access to resources' ('importance of location' and 'comparing online to on-campus teaching and learning'), and (3) 'changing nature of social interactions' ('tutors as a crutch' and 'peer-to-peer interactions'). A number of facilitators and barriers related to these themes were identified, which are applicable to the COM-B model. The COM-B model offers a novel approach in designing and delivering learning materials and activities that may instil or help maintain self-regulated learning in online psychology students.
| S-EPMC7293431 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This paper reports a study on the perceived usefulness of university students on open educational resources (OER) in relation to the switch of learning mode to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants involved two groups of students, one studying in a face-to-face mode and the other in a distance learning mode. They took part in a survey which was conducted in 2019 before the pandemic (with a total of 912 responses) and 2021 during the pandemic (with a total of 1,018 responses). The results show that both groups of students generally perceived OER to be more useful during the pandemic. The specific types of OER which were perceived as relatively more useful include open online courses and open access textbooks. Face-to-face students showed a higher level of perceived usefulness of OER for preparing tests and examinations, while distance learning students perceived OER as more useful for supplementing course materials. They both concerned about the limitations of OER, especially on accuracy and comprehensiveness. The findings suggest the importance of recognizing the diverse needs of the two groups of students and offering appropriate OER support for them.
| S-EPMC9891131 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Objective: In order to evaluate the quality of postgraduate medical education in Germany, we examined how the learning of theoretical and practical competencies is conceptualized and how the learning process takes place in real terms. The training conditions, as perceived by medical residents, are compared with the learning objectives, as stated by the Federal Chamber of Physicians in its regulation on postgraduate education. The analysis is based on the data of the "KarMed" study (abbreviation of "career progression and career breaks among physicians during postgraduate education"), a multicentre cohort study of medical school graduates from seven universities who arre followed until they receive their licenses as specialist physicians. The study was conducted by the Institute of Primary Medical Care of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf starting in 2008. Methodology: The KarMed study is based on annual, standardized surveys of the population described above. 48% responded in the initial survey (n=1012) and 85% or more in each of the following surveys. Descriptive statistics and logistical regressions were used for analysis. Gender-specific analyses were performed where possible in order to highlight the differences in the professional objectives and workloads between female and male physicians. Results: The study shows that both the practical and the theoretical components of postgraduate medical education in Germany are insufficient. There is a lack of a curriculum with precise learning objectives and descriptions of the corresponding educational settings. In fact, the act of learning is identical to daily clinical work. There is no structuring of the work process with regard to learning; for example, documentation procedures and feedback discussions are prescribed but largely omitted. Evidence-based medicine is not a systematic part of the training, nor is the evaluation of residents' progress. The summative final oral examination pretends that the necessary specialist competencies can be evaluated within 30 minutes. Many factors indicate that female doctors, especially those with children, have fewer learning opportunities than male doctors. Conclusion: The quality of postgraduate medical education in Germany has become inadequate, especially in an international comparison. The deficits are well known. The responsible institutions are called upon to implement sustainable reforms in the sense of postgraduate education that is structured according to educational principles and whose quality is assured.
| S-EPMC5704602 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundThe use of distance education using digital tools in higher education has increased over the last decade, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to describe and evaluate nursing students' experiences of the pedagogical transition from traditional campus based learning to distance learning using digital tools.MethodsThe nursing course Symptom and signs of illness underwent a transition from campus based education to distance learning using digital tools because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This pedagogical transition in teaching was evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Focus group interviews (n = 9) were analysed using qualitative content analysis to explore students' experiences of the pedagogical transition and to construct a web-based questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised 14 items, including two open-ended questions. The questionnaire was delivered to all course participants and responses were obtained from 96 of 132 students (73%). Questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comments from the open-ended questions were used as quotes to highlight the quantitative data.ResultsThe analysis of the focus group interviews extracted three main dimensions: didactic aspects of digital teaching, study environment, and students' own resources. Social interaction was an overall theme included in all three dimensions. Data from the questionnaire showed that a majority of students preferred campus based education and experienced deterioration in all investigated dimensions after the pedagogical transition. However, approximately one-third of the students appeared to prefer distance learning using digital tools.ConclusionsThe main finding was that the pedagogical transition to distance education reduced the possibility for students' social interactions in their learning process. This negatively affected several aspects of their experience of distance learning using digital tools, such as reduced motivation. However, the heterogeneity in the responses suggested that a blended learning approach may offer pedagogical benefits while maintaining an advantageous level of social interaction.
| S-EPMC7814979 | biostudies-literature