Abstract
BackgroundProblem-Based-Learning (PBL) has been widely accepted in student-centered medical education. Since WeChat is the most popular communication app in China, we have chosen to use WeChat as new platform for online PBL in order to reduce the limitations of traditional PBL in dental practical clerkships.ObjectiveThis study aims to demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of online PBL using WeChat (WeChat-PBL) in a dental practical clerkship.MethodsA total of 72 students in a dental practical clerkship and 10 tutors participated in this study from June to August 2017. We created 10 WeChat groups to provide a communication platform for the PBL teaching, in which the students selected the PBL cases themselves from their practical clerkship. After each individual PBL case, group members were required to complete an evaluation on the PBL process itself. A final questionnaire survey was completed by the participants to summarize the long-term evaluation of the whole WeChat-PBL experience after the 3-month clerkship. Data from the PBL cases, WeChat messages, periodic evaluations, and long-term evaluations were collected for analysis.ResultsThere were 45 cases presented in the WeChat-PBL within the 3-month clerkship. All students had positive reactions to the communication within the PBL groups. The results of the periodic evaluation showed that the students and tutors were quite satisfied with the process of WeChat-PBL and appreciated the group members’ contributions and performance. The final questionnaire results indicated that the WeChat-PBL had achieved positive effects.ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate the feasibility and acceptability of the app, WeChat, for problem-based learning in a dental practical clerkship.
Highlights
Dental medicine is a practical discipline, and the clerkship is a key component of dental medicine education
There were 45 cases presented in the WeChat-PBL within the 3-month clerkship, and each group finished four or five PBL cases
The results indicate the feasibility and acceptability of WeChat in PBL teaching for students in a dental practical clerkship
Summary
Dental medicine is a practical discipline, and the clerkship is a key component of dental medicine education. In China, the dental practical clerkship is still a teacher-centered process rather than a student-centered one, leading to students who struggle to think independently and solve clinical problems http://www.jmir.org/2019/3/e12127/ XSLFO RenderX. Problem-based learning (PBL) is a widely accepted student-centered educational method focused on the discussion and learning that emerge from focusing on a clinically based problem [2,3]. There are significant contributions from PBL in medical education, and we wish to test whether PBL can improve the quality of dental practical clerkships. Problem-Based-Learning (PBL) has been widely accepted in student-centered medical education. Since WeChat is the most popular communication app in China, we have chosen to use WeChat as new platform for online PBL in order to reduce the limitations of traditional PBL in dental practical clerkships
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