Perceived Didactic Curricular Effectiveness of In-Person vs. Virtual Formats amongst Fourth-Year Dental Students

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Online Learning
• COVID-19 Pandemic Impact

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid shifts in dental education delivery.
• Dental schools transitioned abruptly to virtual learning environments in March 2020.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate dental students' perceptions of virtual learning effectiveness.
• Assessed student comfort with technology, content retention, motivation, and resource access during the transition.

Main Methods:

• A voluntary 18-question electronic survey was administered to graduating dental students.
• Assessed perceptions of virtual seminars compared to traditional in-person didactic sessions.

Main Results:

• 91% of respondents reported comfort with virtual learning; 85% retained concepts effectively.
• 56% experienced increased distractions; 71% reported multitasking.
• 21% desired exclusively virtual learning platforms.

Conclusions:

• Positive student feedback indicates potential for virtual modalities in dental curricula.
• A hybrid approach integrating virtual and in-person learning shows promise for predoctoral dental education.