Premium
Teaching orthodontic emergencies using the “flipped classroom” method of teaching—A mixed methods RCT
Author(s) -
Isherwood Grant,
Taylor Kathryn,
Burnside Girvan,
Fitzgerald Rhian,
Flannigan Norah
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of dental education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.583
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1600-0579
pISSN - 1396-5883
DOI - 10.1111/eje.12467
Subject(s) - flipped classroom , context (archaeology) , curriculum , medical education , class (philosophy) , medicine , teaching method , randomized controlled trial , thematic analysis , perspective (graphical) , dental education , experiential learning , focus group , dentistry , mathematics education , psychology , pedagogy , qualitative research , computer science , surgery , paleontology , social science , marketing , artificial intelligence , sociology , business , biology
Abstract Introduction In the United Kingdom, the General Dental Council requires newly graduated dentists to be competent in managing orthodontic emergencies. Undergraduate students typically receive limited exposure to orthodontics, with teaching primarily delivered via conventional lectures. Flipped teaching involves knowledge being acquired in students’ own time, with class time focussing on construction of meaning. Methods A total of 61 undergraduate dental students were randomised into either a flipped or a conventional group. The conventional group (n = 30) attended a lecture describing the management of six common emergencies. The flipped group (n = 31) were given access to six videos via a virtual learning environment and later completed practical tasks related to the material. Both groups completed a single best answer assessment. Perceptions of flipped classroom teaching were explored via focus groups. Results For questions on orthodontic emergencies, the conventional group had a mean examination result of 70.5% (SD 8.0%) compared with the flipped group of 72.8% (SD 12.9%). There was no significant difference between the groups ( P = .532). For regular orthodontic questions, the conventional group had a mean examination result of 64.8% (SD: 19.9%) compared with 78.3% (SD: 21.7%). There was no significant difference between the groups ( P = .083). Thematic analysis identified the following themes: ways in which videos encourages more effective learning, improved engagement, awareness of learning needs and proposed teaching/curriculum changes. The overarching theoretical perspective was facilitating an experiential learning cycle using flipped classroom teaching. Conclusions In the context of this investigation, the flipped classroom method of teaching resulted in comparable examination performance and improved levels of satisfaction.