Student and Faculty Perceptions of Dental Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In fall 2020, the Academy of Distinguished Educators convened a working group to examine how the curriculum changes in response to COVID had affected the students and faculty at NYU Dentistry. The changes made to the dental and dental hygiene curricula to comply with University and local and federal guidelines were provided: 1) remote instruction 2) small group discussions 3) faculty office hours via Zoom 4) performing preclinical lab work remotely with equipment delivered to students at home 5) discussing clinical cases with faculty via Zoom prior to the student seeing patients face-to-face 6)taking exams remotely via ExamSoft. The working group sent out two similar surveys: one to instructors and one to students to gather the opinions of community members. Responses were collected in December 2020 and January 2021. A total of 248 people responded to the survey (74 faculty and 174 students). Students liked taking exams and attending lectures remotely via Zoom, but very much disliked doing preclinical work remotely. Faculty liked to discuss clinical cases remotely and to give lectures via Zoom and disliked remote exams. Students felt more positive than faculty about remote exams, while the reverse was true for Zoom breakout rooms and preclinical work done remotely. Both students and faculty members were anxious about how remote learning would affect the students' future clinical abilities. Finally, we asked students what they would like faculty to know about the student experiences in the pandemic. The most common student responses were that faculty members need to be proficient in the technology used (Zoom), and that they need the appropriate equipment (good microphones and cameras). Students also reported that they needed more engagement and interaction with faculty members and classmates, that communication among administration, faculty, and students should be improved, especially regarding schedule changes. Students don't feel that their voices are heard; they do feel that student mental health is declining as a result.