Learning priorities and attitudes towards computer-assisted learning of general medical practitioners, general dental practitioners and dental hygienists

Transitioning into an online dental hygiene degree-completion program

PURPOSE

The University of British Columbia's (UBC) Dental Hygiene Degree-Completion (DC) program has offered an academic pathway for dental hygienists to earn a degree exclusively through an online delivery format since 2006. The students' experiences transitioning to online learning and related student support needs have not been previously studied. Thus, this study investigated students' experiences as they entered an online dental hygiene DC program METHODS: An online survey with open-ended and closed-ended questions was distributed to all 53 currently enrolled dental hygiene DC students in September 2019 RESULTS: Thirty-two students completed the survey for a 60% response rate. Most student respondents (78%) had no prior experience with online education. Only 59% of respondents were confident in their abilities to navigate a Web-based learning environment. Three-quarters (75%) of respondents felt like a valued member of the Faculty of Dentistry community but only 47% felt they belonged to the larger university community. Most (72%) were familiar with the support resources within the Faculty but fewer than half (41%) were aware of additional resources outside of the Faculty. Students aged 30 years and older felt more comfortable reaching out to faculty and staff members (90% vs. 55%; P = 0.05). Students with prior online learning experience were more aware of student support resources outside of the Faculty (57% vs. 36%; P = 0.05) CONCLUSION: Lessons learned from this study have informed several recommendations to better support student transition to online learning that can be applicable to this program and in other institutions.

The study techniques of Asian, American, and European medical students during gross anatomy and neuroanatomy courses in Poland

BACKGROUND

Past research in medical education has addressed the study of gross anatomy, including the most effective learning techniques, comparing the use of cadavers, dissection, anatomy atlases, and multimedia tools. The aim of this study was to demonstrate similarities and differences among American, Asian, and European medical students (MS) regarding different study methods and to see how these methods affected their clinical skills.

METHODS

To analyze the varying study methods of European, American, and Asian MS in our program and in order to elucidate any ethnic and cultural differences a survey was conducted. A total of 705 international MS, from the Polish (PD), American (AD), and Taiwanese (TD) divisions, were asked to voluntarily participate in the questionnaire. Students were asked the following questions: which methods they used to study anatomy, and which of the methods they believed were most efficient for comprehension, memorization, and review. The questions were based on a 5-point Likert scale, where 5 was 'strongly agree', and 1 was 'strongly disagree'.

RESULTS

The PD and AD preferred the use of dissections and prosected specimens to study anatomy. The TD showed less interest in studying from prosected specimens, but did acknowledge that this method was more effective than using atlases, plastic models, or CD-ROMs. Multimedia tools were mainly used for radiological anatomy and review and also for correctly typing proper names of structures using exact anatomical terminology.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlight the differences in study techniques among students from different ethnic backgrounds. The study approaches used in order to accomplish learning objectives was affected by cultural norms that influenced each student group. These differences may be rooted in technological, religious, and language barriers, which can shape the way MS approach learning.