The Effectiveness of E-Learning in Teaching the Practical Skills – Third Year Dental Student at Damascus University

Abstract

Objectives: Traditional methods of education are considered place and time limited, they also lack the flexibility offered by modern methods of communication that depend on Internet and Social media. Recently E-learning is used significantly to support traditional education.

Comparing the effectiveness of traditional education with E-learning (using social media "Facebook") in the field of the correct understanding of subject, and comparing scientific advantage over time, concentrating, interaction with lecturer and colleagues and asking questions freely. The research aims, also, to study student's turnout to Modern teaching techniques, and the efficiency of e-learning in raising practical academic performance.

Materials and Methods: Review session has been done using traditional teaching methods, followed by a corresponding electronic session in terms of information using Facebook. Special group has been created for this purpose, and students have been invited to enter and attend the review session willingly.

Hard and soft copies of the questionnaire have been distributed after each session to collect information. Afterwards, students were tested practically to measure their ability to do preparations on Acrylic teeth fixed on Gypsum models. Students’ performance has been evaluated on a scale of 1-10 by a dual committee using complete blinding.

Shapiro -Wilk test was used to make sure of normal distribution of data, and T-test to study if there was a real correlation between the results.

Results: 67.3% of the students attended e-learning sessions, compared to 14.3% attended traditional education sessions.

E-learning exceeds in both full understanding information and scientific benefit. Compared to time and feeling free to ask questions. Traditional Education exceeds when asking about the clarity of the educational purpose, and the ability to concentrate through providing information and interaction between the lecturer and colleagues.

The difference was not significant in students’ marks between traditional education and e-learning method (Sig = 0.754).