Knowledge acquisition efficacy of a remote flipped classroom on learning about removable partial dentures

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Prosthodontics
• Remote Learning Technologies

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a global shift towards remote education.
• Traditional on-site lectures may not be optimal for all learning environments.
• Flipped classroom models offer a blended approach to learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the learning outcomes of a fully digitized, remote flipped (RF) classroom.
• To compare the effectiveness of the RF classroom with traditional on-site lecture and on-site flipped classroom models.
• To assess knowledge acquisition in undergraduate prosthodontic education.

Main Methods:

• Fourth-year dental students participated in on-site flipped (OF), on-site lecture (OL), or RF classrooms.
• Lecture materials were delivered online for OF and RF groups; only text was provided for OL.
• Individual and group tests were administered post-instruction, with statistical analysis (ANOVA, Tukey's test, multilevel regression) to compare scores.

Main Results:

• Mean individual test scores were significantly higher in RF and OF groups compared to the OL group (P<0.01).
• The RF group achieved significantly higher mean group test scores than both OF and OL groups (P<0.001).
• Remote and flipped classroom styles were identified as significant factors for improved individual test scores, and remote style for group test scores (P<0.05).

Conclusions:

• The remote flipped classroom model demonstrates superior effectiveness in enhancing knowledge acquisition for undergraduate prosthodontic education.
• This study supports the integration of remote and flipped learning strategies in dental curricula.
• The findings highlight the potential of digital educational tools to improve learning outcomes.