Evaluating e-learning on an international scale: An audit of computer simulation learning materials in the field of dentistry

Evaluation of Atlas-Based Mobile Application in Undergraduate Teaching in Oral Histopathology

The utilization of mobile devices in education is a growing trend in various subjects. We developed the Dental and Maxillofacial Development Teaching Atlas App, and applied it to the learning process of oral histopathology. The aim of the current study was to investigate the educational effects of atlas-based mobile-assisted teaching in the field of dental medicine, and to suggest relevant improvements. The Dental and Maxillofacial Development Teaching Atlas App encompasses a wide range of atlases. It harbors various features, such as terminology definitions, student communications, and teacher-student interactions. By conducting questionnaires (70 students) and a quiz (68 students), we obtained students' feedback, to evaluate the effects and application prospects of the WeChat applet. The questionnaire results indicate that students experienced a high level of satisfaction and support. Additionally, students participated in the quiz, with the experimental group exhibiting significantly higher average scores than the control group. The fill-in-the-blank questions, image recognition questions, and the total score all demonstrated statistically significant differences, while the terminology definition questions did not. The Dental and Maxillofacial Development Teaching Atlas App facilitates students' utilization of fragmented time for learning, and demonstrates positive effects in enhancing students' learning interests and proactiveness. It also holds promising potential for applications in other disciplines in the field of dental education.

Development and Evaluation of Interactive Flipped e-Learning (iFEEL) for Pharmacy Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Distance learning has come to the forefront of educational delivery throughout the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Presently, there is a paucity of studies that have utilized interactive e-lectures as a model for remote flipped learning. Objectives: To compare educational outcomes for the remote interactive flipped e-learning (iFEEL) activity versus paper-based in-class group learning (PICkLE). Methods: During the spring 2021 semester, tutorials in pharmaceutical quality control and good manufacturing practice were remotely delivered to students by two different approaches: PICkLE and iFEEL. In the latter activity, interactive e-lectures were software-designed and included several audiovisual enhanced illustrations to encourage students to interact with the lecture material prior to attending the virtual class. The class time was reserved for in-class quizzes and discussion. Mean exam scores were compared and voluntary questionnaires were distributed among the participating students as well as healthcare faculty members in 29 Saudi universities. Data from the remotely-delivered course was compared with data from previous course offerings (2018−2020) that used the live PICkLE method. Results: The mean score of post-lecture tests significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared to pre-lecture tests in remote PICkLE and iFEEL, respectively. iFEEL activity showed higher mean post-tests score (95.2%) compared to live PICkLE (90.2%, p = 0.08) and remote PICkLE (93.5%, p = 0.658). Mean comprehensive exam scores increased from 83.8% for remote PICkLE to 89.2% for iFEEL (p = 0.449). On average, 92% of students and 85% of faculty members reported positive feedback on the five quality attributes of the e-lecture. Over 75% of students preferred the iFEEL over PICkLE activity for future course offerings and 84% of faculty members recommend the integration of interactive e-lectures in their future courses. Conclusion: iFEEL represents a novel model of remote flipped learning and shows promising potential to be incorporated into live blended-learning classroom activities.