Abstract
The prevalence of distance education is steadily increasing in institutions of higher education in the United States and abroad. Colleges and universities are seeking new avenues to deliver curricula to students in remote areas and/or to nontraditional students. Distance education is a relatively new venture for dental hygiene education. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and use of distance education in dental hygiene educational programs nationally. Dental hygiene directors of all associate degree and baccalaureate degree dental hygiene programs in the United States (N = 255) were mailed a fifteen-item survey regarding their use of distance education. Results of the study indicated that 22 percent of dental hygiene programs have implemented distance education. In addition, a large variety of courses are being offered by several distance education delivery methods. Thirty of the thirty-eight dental hygiene programs that responded to the survey reported that they were satisfied with their distance education initiatives. The length of time that distance education was offered by the dental hygiene program was not related to satisfaction level (p = .0795), and there was no relationship between the type of distance education used and satisfaction level (p > .05). Considering all factors involved in this study, we can conclude that distance education is being used in a substantial number of dental hygiene programs and that the majority of these programs are satisfied that distance education is an adequate alternative to traditional "brick and mortar" approaches.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.