The benefits of incorporating active learning into online, asynchronous coursework in dental physiology

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic required a shift to online learning that posed particular challenges for the education of dental students. Basic science courses were presented in an online, asynchronous format to facilitate small group rotations through preclinical work. The success of active learning was previously examined in a Dental Physiology course, and it was desired to reassess those methods in an online environment. It was unclear whether the loss of the collaborative opportunities during the active learning sessions would negatively impact student perceptions or performance. In the asynchronous, online environment, students were unable to easily share their ideas with their classmates or ask questions of the lecturer in real time. The 120 students enrolled in the first‐year Dental Physiology course were provided with pre‐recorded sections of content containing learning activities, and the effectiveness was compared with sections of traditional lecture recordings. On surveys, dental students had more positive perceptions of online recordings that incorporated active learning strategies, with higher perceived effectiveness of the lecturer, ability to pay attention, motivation to study, and confidence with the material. This was similar to the previous study, in which face‐2‐face (F2F) active learning was more positively reviewed than traditional lectures. Compared with these past sections, the online cohort expressed similarly positive perceptions of the active learning sections, but the online traditional lectures were perceived to be less effective than F2F lectures. Despite the differences in student perceptions, unit exam scores were similar for traditional didactic lectures in both online and F2F settings (P=1.000, one‐way ANOVA). In the online setting, active learning exam scores were 8.13% higher than traditional lecture recordings (P<0.001, one‐way ANOVA and Bonferroni post‐hoc test). However, the previous F2F active learning produced significantly higher scores than online active learning on unit exams (P=0.04). While active learning strategies continue to be effective, further research is needed to optimize these methods and engage students in online coursework. The results suggest the importance of active and collaborative learning opportunities in the education of students in physiology coursework.