Welk A, Splieth Ch, Seyer D, Rosin M, Siemer M, Meyer G
Department of Restorative Dentistry, Periodontology, and Endodontology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Eur J Dent Educ. 2006 May;10(2):87-95. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0579.2006.00401.x.
Computer technology is increasingly used in practical training at universities. However, in spite of their potential, computer-assisted simulation (CAS) systems still appear to be underutilised.
To investigate the practical usage of CAS/computer-assisted learning (CAL) systems, the familiarity and level of use of CAS systems, as well as the acceptance of approved learning content and English as the language of instruction in CAS/CAL systems.
A survey was conducted in the Departments of Conservative Dentistry and Prosthetic Dentistry of all 32 dental schools in Germany. Besides investigating the usefulness of, familiarity with and level of current usage of CAS systems, the questionnaire also contained questions regarding each respondent's gender, age, academic rank, experience in academia and computer skills, all of which correlated with the responses.
The response rate was 90% (112 out of 125). The use of CAS/CAL systems was considered 'partly' to 'very' useful for evaluating the acquisition of knowledge (83.9%), qualitative issues (73.2%) and processes (72.3%) of dental preparation exercises and complex treatment strategies. However, only about half the respondents reported that they knew of, and even fewer used, the following systems in preclinical or clinical training: EDUnet (KaVo, Germany) (46.3%/0.9 %), PREPassistant (KaVo, Germany) (50%/0.9%), or the DentSim system (DenX, Israel) (52.8%/1.9%). The virtual simulation system VRDTS-CP (Novint, USA), used by none of the respondents, was known to only 16.5%. Responders agreed at least partly to accept approved learning content (74.9%) and English as the language of instruction (82.1%) as the standards for CAS systems.
The survey indicates a distinct discrepancy between a generally positive attitude towards the usefulness of computer technology for dental education, the level of familiarity with current computer systems and their actual use. However, two prerequisites for ultimately decreasing the cost and increasing the usage of CAS systems--the acceptance of approved learning content and English as the language of instruction in CAS systems--seem to be generally accepted by respondents.
计算机技术在大学实践培训中的应用日益广泛。然而，尽管计算机辅助模拟（CAS）系统具有潜力，但似乎仍未得到充分利用。
调查CAS/计算机辅助学习（CAL）系统的实际使用情况、对CAS系统的熟悉程度和使用水平，以及对CAS/CAL系统中认可的学习内容和英语作为教学语言的接受程度。
对德国所有32所牙科学院的保守牙科和修复牙科系进行了一项调查。除了调查CAS系统的有用性、熟悉程度和当前使用水平外，问卷还包含了关于每位受访者的性别、年龄、学术排名、学术经验和计算机技能的问题，所有这些都与回答相关。
回复率为90%（125份中的112份）。CAS/CAL系统的使用被认为对评估牙体预备练习和复杂治疗策略的知识获取（83.9%）、定性问题（73.2%）和过程（72.3%）“部分”至“非常”有用。然而，只有约一半的受访者表示他们在临床前或临床培训中了解并使用了以下系统：EDUnet（德国卡瓦）（46.3%/0.9%）、PREPassistant（德国卡瓦）（50%/0.9%）或DentSim系统（以色列DenX）（52.8%/1.9%）。虚拟模拟系统VRDTS-CP（美国Novint），没有受访者使用过，只有16.5%的人知道。受访者至少部分同意接受认可的学习内容（74.9%）和英语作为教学语言（82.1%）作为CAS系统的标准。
调查表明，对于计算机技术对牙科教育有用性的普遍积极态度、对当前计算机系统的熟悉程度与其实际使用之间存在明显差异。然而，最终降低成本和增加CAS系统使用的两个先决条件——接受认可的学习内容和英语作为CAS系统的教学语言——似乎得到了受访者的普遍认可。
