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Dental students' attitudes towards digital textbooks
Elizabeth A Strother1, Darlene P Brunet, Michael L Bates
1Louisiana State University School of Dentistry Library, 1100 Florida Avenue, Box 229, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA. EStrot@lsuhsc.edu
Journal of Dental Education
|December 17, 2009
Summary
Dental students prefer printed textbooks over digital versions, citing dissatisfaction with online reading and high costs for the VitalSource Bookshelf (VBS) program. Findings suggest a need to re-evaluate digital textbook adoption in dental education.
Area of Science:
- Dental Education
- Medical Informatics
Background:
- The Louisiana State University School of Dentistry (LSUSD) implemented the VitalSource Bookshelf (VBS) digital textbook program.
- The VBS includes the Contemporary Dental Library (CDL) and additional course-specific titles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess dental student satisfaction with the VBS digital textbook program at LSUSD.
- To identify student preferences regarding digital versus print textbook formats.
Main Methods:
- A survey was distributed to all four classes of dental students at LSUSD.
- Exit interviews with graduating seniors included questions about the VBS program.
- Data collected from 82 survey respondents (34.2% completion rate) and exit interviews.
Main Results:
- A significant majority of LSUSD students expressed dissatisfaction with reading extensive text online.
- Students overwhelmingly preferred printed textbooks over digital formats.
- Concerns were raised regarding the cost of the CDL and payment for non-required digital texts.
Conclusions:
- LSUSD dental students prefer traditional printed textbooks for their education.
- The current digital textbook model may not meet student needs or expectations.
- Further investigation into cost-effectiveness and student preferences for digital resources is warranted.
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