Self-motivation and self-direction in team-based and case-based learning

Evaluating dental students' perspectives on the concurrent teaching of didactic and case-based courses

PURPOSE

To evaluate student perception of integrating biomedical and clinical sciences based on survey of dental students on the concurrent teaching of a didactic systems-based course and a case-based course.

METHODS

First-year to fourth-year students (DS1-DS4) students were surveyed for their experiences in concurrent teaching. Student response rate for the survey was 55% (229/420). Pearson's Chi-squared tests and Kruskal-Wallis rank sum tests were used to assess statistical significance (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

Of the students surveyed, 83% strongly agreed or agreed that concurrent teaching of the didactic and case-based courses helped them better understand the biomedical science background and the clinical ramifications (p < 0.001). On average, 75% percent strongly agreed or agreed that concurrent teaching kept them engaged, motivated, think critically, apply the course content and prepare for clinical practice (p < 0.001). Of the students surveyed, 69% support expanding concurrent teaching to all four years (p < 0.001). Mean responses from DS1 and DS4 students differed for questions relating to understanding of biomedical sciences, critical thinking and application to clinic (p < 0.01). Qualitative data showed that students enjoyed the reinforcement of concepts and application to clinical scenarios.

CONCLUSIONS

Concurrent teaching of didactic and case-based learning courses, thus showing clinical relevance of biomedical sciences in the first year of dental curriculum, is perceived by students as an effective method of educating dental students. Such integrative learning process with horizontal and vertical integration and concurrent curriculum is even more relevant with the implementation of the integrated national board dental examination.

Application of online learning combined with case-based discussion in oral medicine education

BACKGROUND

During the past decades, the rapid development of modern teaching tools and methods has been observed, and the new teaching module constructed through digitization or networking has been widely used in the field of medical education. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and acceptability of the online learning combined with case-based discussion (CBD) approach in oral medicine education.

METHODS

Sixty senior students majoring in stomatology were randomly divided into two groups. One group (new module-based teaching group [NG], n = 30) watched an online teaching video and discussed clinical cases in groups. The control group (traditional lecture-based group [TG], n = 30) was assigned to the traditional lecture-based teaching. Subsequently, a theory assessment was conducted on the topics taught, and the scores of both groups were compared. Feedback about this teaching model was obtained from the NG.

RESULTS

The results showed that students in the NG had significantly better performance in terms of mastering professional knowledge than did students in the TG. Moreover, most students in the NG had a high degree of satisfaction with this new teaching method, as they agreed that it can mobilize their learning enthusiasm and promote their engagement, interaction, and cooperation in the learning of oral medicine.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate the effectiveness and high satisfaction of CBD combined with online learning in the teaching of oral medicine. This study is expected to provide new ideas for improving the dental teaching quality.