The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education: An Online Survey of Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes
Purpose: Dental education institutions worldwide experienced disruptive changes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a rapid switch to the online learning format. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental education and evaluates the perceptions and attitudes of stude...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Dentistry Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/9/10/116 |
| _version_ | 1797514877632249856 |
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| author | Ana Badovinac Matej Par Laura Plančak Marcela Daria Balić Domagoj Vražić Darko Božić Larisa Musić |
| author_facet | Ana Badovinac Matej Par Laura Plančak Marcela Daria Balić Domagoj Vražić Darko Božić Larisa Musić |
| author_sort | Ana Badovinac |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose: Dental education institutions worldwide experienced disruptive changes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a rapid switch to the online learning format. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental education and evaluates the perceptions and attitudes of students towards the introduction of online learning in the School of Dental Medicine in Zagreb, Croatia. Methods: A survey was conducted on a population of undergraduate students. It was comprised of perceptions and attitudes of students on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their psychoemotional status, changes introduced in the educational system, and online learning in particular. Results: Of the 352 students that completed the survey, 66.2% of students reported being psychoemotionally affected by the lockdown. The most significant impact of the switch from in-person to online learning was observed in terms of missing contact with lecturers (60.3%) and peers (90.3%) and loss of practical courses, regarding which 65% of students agreed that they could not be compensated. While only 36.1% reported that online teaching fully met their expectations, the majority of the students (61.9%) agreed that online lectures were as valuable as in-person lectures and that the theoretical courses could be carried out online in the future as well (69.9%). Conclusions: Students reported relative satisfaction with changes in the learning format and a positive attitude towards online learning; however, several challenges and obstacles were identified. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:37:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9ce1821627f347da8fa95b1d5acad910 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-6767 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:37:46Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Dentistry Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-9ce1821627f347da8fa95b1d5acad9102023-11-22T17:55:48ZengMDPI AGDentistry Journal2304-67672021-10-0191011610.3390/dj9100116The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education: An Online Survey of Students’ Perceptions and AttitudesAna Badovinac0Matej Par1Laura Plančak2Marcela Daria Balić3Domagoj Vražić4Darko Božić5Larisa Musić6Department of Periodontology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, HR-10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, HR-10000 Zagreb, CroatiaSchool of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, HR-10000 Zagreb, CroatiaPrivate Dental Practice, HR-10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Periodontology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, HR-10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Periodontology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, HR-10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Periodontology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, HR-10000 Zagreb, CroatiaPurpose: Dental education institutions worldwide experienced disruptive changes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a rapid switch to the online learning format. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental education and evaluates the perceptions and attitudes of students towards the introduction of online learning in the School of Dental Medicine in Zagreb, Croatia. Methods: A survey was conducted on a population of undergraduate students. It was comprised of perceptions and attitudes of students on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their psychoemotional status, changes introduced in the educational system, and online learning in particular. Results: Of the 352 students that completed the survey, 66.2% of students reported being psychoemotionally affected by the lockdown. The most significant impact of the switch from in-person to online learning was observed in terms of missing contact with lecturers (60.3%) and peers (90.3%) and loss of practical courses, regarding which 65% of students agreed that they could not be compensated. While only 36.1% reported that online teaching fully met their expectations, the majority of the students (61.9%) agreed that online lectures were as valuable as in-person lectures and that the theoretical courses could be carried out online in the future as well (69.9%). Conclusions: Students reported relative satisfaction with changes in the learning format and a positive attitude towards online learning; however, several challenges and obstacles were identified.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/9/10/116dental educationdental studentsonline learningCOVID-19surveys and questionnaires |
| spellingShingle | Ana Badovinac Matej Par Laura Plančak Marcela Daria Balić Domagoj Vražić Darko Božić Larisa Musić The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education: An Online Survey of Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes Dentistry Journal dental education dental students online learning COVID-19 surveys and questionnaires |
| title | The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education: An Online Survey of Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes |
| title_full | The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education: An Online Survey of Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education: An Online Survey of Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education: An Online Survey of Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes |
| title_short | The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education: An Online Survey of Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes |
| title_sort | impact of the covid 19 pandemic on dental education an online survey of students perceptions and attitudes |
| topic | dental education dental students online learning COVID-19 surveys and questionnaires |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/9/10/116 |
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