Instructional multimedia: an investigation of student and instructor attitudes and student study behavior

Enhancement of Skill Competencies in Operative Dentistry Using Procedure-Specific Educational Videos (E-Learning Tools) Post-COVID-19 Era-A Randomized Controlled Trial

E-learning has completely transformed how people teach and learn, particularly in the last three pandemic years. This study evaluated the effectiveness of additional procedure-specific video demonstrations through E-learning in improving the knowledge and practical preclinical skills acquisition of undergraduate dental students in comparison with live demonstration only. A randomized controlled trial was conducted for the second-year dental students in the College of Dentistry, Jouf University, to evaluate the impact of E-learning-assisted videos on preclinical skill competency levels in operative dentistry. After a brief introduction to this study, the second-year male and female students voluntarily participated in the survey through an official college email. Fifty participants were enrolled in the study after obtaining informed consent. The participants were randomly divided into two groups, twenty-five each. The control group (Group A) was taught using traditional methods, and the intervention group (Group B) used E-learning-assisted educational videos and traditional techniques. An objective structured practical examination (OSPE) was used to assess both groups. The faculty members prepared a structured, standardized form to evaluate students. After OSPE, statistical analysis was done to compare the grades of OSPE between Group A and Group B. Logistic regression analysis was done to express the effect of components of the OSPE on gender, cumulative gross point average (CGPA), Group A and Group B. The results showed a significant difference in the experimental groups after the intervention (p < 0.000). The simulator position parameter demonstrated that the participants had a significant competence level after the intervention by procedure-specific videos (p < 0.000) and an exponential value of 6.494. The participants taught by E-learning-assisted procedure-specific videos and traditional teaching strategies demonstrated an enhanced learning and skill competency level than participants who used only traditional teaching strategies.

Effectiveness of Procedural Video Versus Live Demonstrations in Teaching Laboratory Techniques to Dental Students

Even though the traditional live demonstration method is commonly used in teaching laboratory techniques to dental students, it has many drawbacks. The aim of this study was to assess the acquisition of knowledge, practical skills, and perceptions of dental students who had a live demonstration versus procedural video on arranging artificial teeth. All 79 third-year dental students at a dental school in Sri Lanka, who had no previous experience in arrangement of teeth, were randomly divided into two groups in 2016. Students in group 1 had a live demonstration, while students in group 2 had a video demonstration. A pretest and posttest were conducted to assess the students' knowledge about arrangement of teeth. After one week, students in both groups were requested to arrange teeth, and a practical skills score was given. Following this, a questionnaire was used to assess the students' perceptions regarding their method of learning. Three students in group 1 did not attend the live demonstration, so the results were based on 76 participants: group 1 n=36, group 2 n=40. The results showed no significant difference between the two group's mean pretest scores (p=0.460). However, group 2 showed a statistically significant increase in mean posttest score over its pretest score (p=0.002). This difference was not seen in group 1. There was no significant difference in the mean skills test score for the two groups (p=0.588). These results suggest the procedural video was as good as the live demonstration in teaching the specific task selected for this study. However, when the perceptions of the two groups were compared, the students considered the video as a better teaching tool except when clarification was needed.