Assessment of E-Learning in Prosthodontics during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: The goal of this study was to analyze the dental students' and faculty's perceptions of the usefulness of e-learning in prosthodontics during the difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study with a sample size of 213 students and 10 faculty members was conducted at the institutional level. The participants' perspectives on e-learning were formed using prevalidated anonymous questionnaires, one for students and the other for faculty, each including a total of 20 questions, both closed and open ended. The data were examined using SPSS version 24.0 for statistical analysis. Mean and standard deviation were used for descriptive statistics, whereas frequencies and percentages were used for categorical data. Results: The survey participants, students, and instructors all agreed that online classes had certain advantages since they fit better into their schedules. Both students and professors were dissatisfied with the learning quality because the prosthodontics subject is mostly a practical domain that necessitates active demonstrations and debates to master the practical aspects of the subject. Discussion: The results of this study revealed the substantial challenges that teachers and dental students encounter when it comes to e-learning in prosthodontics. These findings can be used to improve students' and faculty's learning experiences, as well as to develop an effective and productive online learning platform. Conclusion: The current study's findings revealed the substantial challenges that dental students and instructors confront when it comes to e learning in prosthodontics. This can then be used to advise the university's dentistry education section in developing an effective and productive online teaching platform aimed at improving students' learning experiences.

Efficacy of a Novel Computerized Aid in Designing Removable Partial Dentures

“…Bansod et al [22] in their original research revealed the substantial challenges that dental students and instructors confront when it comes to e-learning in prosthodontics which could be used to advise the university's dentistry education section in developing an effective and productive online teaching platform aimed at improving students' learning experiences, an observation that we share through our findings as well. E-learning was further successfully used in a dental school's curriculum to enhance students' perceptions of fundamental concepts and enabled students to apply that knowledge to clinical cases in the study done by Turkyilmaz et al [23].…”