Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Eur J Dent Educ. 2024 May;28(2):645-654. doi: 10.1111/eje.12991. Epub 2024 Jan 28.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought major disruptions to dental teaching and has impacted the delivery of tooth morphology courses where students are introduced to the three-dimensional features of the dentition. The aim of this study was to assess the implementation of newly developed online teaching modalities for tooth morphology, evaluate their usefulness and identify elements that are beneficial for learners.
Following the delivery of an online course that included online 3D models, 2D cue cards, live discussion sessions and Socrative™ quizzes, the participants were asked to rate the usability and usefulness of each tool. The participants' knowledge of tooth morphology was assessed through an online examination using 3D-digitised tooth models.
The participants identified lecture handouts and online 3D models as their preferred learning tools, while lecture video recordings and 2D cue cards were viewed as less useful. Data analysis from Socrative™ quizzes demonstrated improvement in tooth identification skills throughout the course delivery. Finally, results from the final assessment are in line with previous in-person deliveries of this course.
The study provides valuable information on the usefulness of teaching modalities that were implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and their merit to be retained in future deliveries of the course. The 3D models have been identified as particularly useful in this context, but the participants still value the opportunity to learn with extracted teeth. Furthermore, it remains to be confirmed whether tooth identification skills acquired using 3D models can be transferred to the clinical setting.
COVID-19 大流行给牙科教学带来了重大干扰，并影响了牙体形态学课程的教学，因为该课程旨在让学生了解牙列的三维特征。本研究旨在评估新开发的牙体形态学在线教学模式的实施情况，评估其有用性，并确定对学习者有益的要素。
在开设包括在线 3D 模型、2D 提示卡、实时讨论环节和 Socrative™测验的在线课程后，要求参与者对每种工具的可用性和有用性进行评分。通过使用 3D 数字化牙齿模型的在线考试来评估参与者的牙体形态学知识。
参与者认为讲稿和在线 3D 模型是他们最喜欢的学习工具，而讲座视频记录和 2D 提示卡则被认为用处不大。Socrative™测验的数据分析表明，在课程教学过程中，牙齿识别技能有所提高。最后，期末考试的结果与本课程之前的面授情况一致。
本研究提供了有关应对 COVID-19 大流行而实施的教学模式的有用性及其在未来课程教学中的保留价值的宝贵信息。3D 模型在这种情况下被认为特别有用，但参与者仍然重视使用提取牙齿学习的机会。此外，使用 3D 模型获得的牙齿识别技能是否可以转移到临床环境中，这一点仍有待证实。
