Spaced education activates students in a theoretical radiological science course: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Radiological Sciences
• Digital Learning

Background:

• Traditional face-to-face lectures in theoretical radiological science courses may not sustain long-term student engagement.
• Assessing methods to enhance student interaction with learning content is crucial for effective education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of spaced education, delivered via delayed emails with multiple-choice questions, on student engagement in a theoretical radiological science course.
• To compare the time spent on learning content and student satisfaction between traditional and spaced education groups.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 42 third-year dental students, randomly assigned to a traditional or spaced education group.
• The spaced education group received delayed emails with questions and feedback, while the traditional group received standard lectures.
• Student time investment in learning content and course evaluations (TRIL questionnaire) were measured and compared using the Mann-Whitney-U test.

Main Results:

• Students in the spaced education group spent significantly more time on learning content (216.2 min vs. 58.4 min, p < .0005).
• The spaced education group reported significantly better course didactics (p = .034) and communication with the teacher (p = .022).

Conclusions:

• Integrating spaced education into face-to-face radiological science courses effectively increases student engagement with the learning material.
• Spaced education enhances the learning experience by promoting deeper interaction with course content and improving student-teacher communication.