Perceived Didactic Curricular Effectiveness of In-Person vs. Virtual Formats amongst Fourth-Year Dental Students

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic altered the methodologies of dental education delivery, resulting in both immediate and more enduring changes. To assess student perceptions of learning effectiveness, graduating dental students from the class of 2020 were surveyed to identify student comfort with technology and content retention, individual motivation and mental focus, and access to resources pertaining to an abrupt transition to a virtual learning didactic seminar approach in March 2020. Methods: a voluntary, 18-question electronic survey was distributed to fourth-year dental students prior to graduation to assess perceptions of learning outcomes and preferences of a virtual seminar format relative to previous in-person didactic seminars experienced. Results: 34 of 80 dental students (42.5%) completed the electronic survey. Comfort and retention of concepts through virtual learning were reported ≥ by 91% and 85% of the respondents, respectively. Increased distractions and multitasking were reported with virtual learning in 56% and 71%, respectively. Desires to have all teaching conducted through virtual learning platforms was reported at 21%. Conclusions: the positive student responses obtained when comparing virtual to in-person seminars in the survey assessment demonstrates the long-term potential for such delivery modalities to be intentionally incorporated into an evolving predoctoral curriculum in a hybrid nature.