• Dieter J Schönwetter, Nicole Gareau-Wilson, Rodrigo Sanches Cunha, and Isabel Mello.
• Dr. Schönwetter is Associate Professor and Director of Educational Resources and Faculty Development, College of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba; Ms. Gareau-Wilson is Master of Education student, Department of Educational Administration, Foundations, and Psychology, Faculty of Education, and Academic Advisor, Student Academic Success, University of Manitoba; Dr. Cunha is Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Restorative Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba; and Dr. Mello is Associate Professor, Department of Dental Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Dalhousie University. Dieter.Schonwetter@umanitoba.ca.
• J Dent Educ. 2016 Feb 1; 80 (2): 141-8.

AbstractThe traditional lecturing method is still one of the most common forms of delivering content to students in dental education, but innovative learning technologies have the potential to improve the effectiveness and quality of teaching dental students. What challenges instructors is the extent to which these learning tools have a direct impact on student learning outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a voice-over screen-captured learning tool by identifying a positive, nil, or negative impact on student learning as well as student engagement (affective, behavioral, and cognitive) when compared to the traditional face-to-face lecture. Extraneous variables thought to impact student learning were controlled by the use of baseline measures as well as random assignment of second-year dental students to one of two teaching conditions: voice-over screen-captured presentation delivered online and the traditional classroom lecture. A total of 28 students enrolled in the preclinical course in endodontics at a Canadian dental school participated in the study, 14 in each of the two teaching conditions. The results showed that, in most cases, the students who experienced the online lecture had somewhat higher posttest scores and perceived satisfaction levels than those in the face-to-face lecture group, but the differences did not achieve statistical significance except for their long-term recognition test scores. This study found that the students had comparable learning outcomes whether they experienced the face-to-face or the online lecture, but that the online lecture had a more positive impact on their long-term learning. The controls for extraneous variables used in this study suggest ways to improve research into the comparative impact of traditional and innovative teaching methods on student learning outcomes.

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