Mobile learning practices and preferences a way forward in enhancing dental education learning experience

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To explore undergraduate dental students′ mobile technological preferences and their use in learning and patient management in dentistry. Materials and Methods: An online survey questionnaire (62 Questions in five parts) was designed to investigate the impact of mobile technology in dental education amongst the Bachelor in Dental Science and Graduate Dental Science (1st-5th year) students, at the School of Dentistry, Griffith University, Australia. Participation was voluntary. Results: In total, 251 dental students consented to participate in the study. The majority of participants were in the age group of 18-25 (65.3%). Mobile devices were used by 93.2% of the respondents for various activities including for educational purposes. Laptops and smartphones′ ownership was almost similar; however, 75.7% favoured laptop as the primary device for resource storage, study, research, and organization of study materials. Social media were used by 52% of the 5th year respondents for studies and course-related activities. Majority of the students (78.8%) indicated that mobile devices with their software applications could positively assist in patient education and management; however, the relative lack of user-friendly quality applications meant that only 15%-25% of students used software applications for these purposes. Conclusion: The large student ownership of mobile devices and increased interest in its use to enhance learning experiences should encourage universities and software developers to funding research into mobile learning.