Comparing the Level of knowledge and Satisfaction of Students from Conventional in-Person Education and In-Person Education based on Learning Aids in the Clinical Applications of Lasers in Dentistry Course

In this study, the effect of conventional in-person education and in-person education based on videos and posters on the level of knowledge and satisfaction of students was compared in the course of clinical applications of laser in dentistry.

In this comparative applied study, 66 dental students were divided into two groups to take the course on clinical applications of lasers. The first group underwent conventional in-person education, and the second group underwent in-person education based on learning aids. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire that the students completed after completing the course and included 15 questions in two fields, including knowledge level (9 questions) and satisfaction level (6 questions). The data were analyzed with SPSS software (version 24).  Independent sample T-test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Significance level was set at 0.05. 

The mean and standard deviation of the knowledge and satisfaction scores of the students who completed the course through conventional in-person education were 24.06 ± 6.8 (out of 36 scores) and 17.09 ± 5.15 (out of 24 scores), respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the knowledge and satisfaction scores of the students who had taken the in-person education based on learning aids were 24.56 ± 7.05 and 17.73 ± 5.1, respectively. Statistical analysis did not show a significant difference between the two study methods (P<0.05).

Teaching the course of the clinical applications of lasers was not significantly different between in-person education based on learning aids and conventional in-person education concerning the students' level of knowledge and satisfaction.