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A Scoring System for Assessing Learning Progression of Dental Students’ Clinical Skills Using Haptic Virtual Workstations
Author(s) -
Ria Sama,
Cox Margaret J.,
Quinn Barry F.,
San Diego Jonathan P.,
Bakir Ali,
Woolford Mark J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of dental education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1930-7837
pISSN - 0022-0337
DOI - 10.21815/jde.018.028
Subject(s) - session (web analytics) , haptic technology , task (project management) , curriculum , test (biology) , computer science , dental education , scoring system , physical therapy , multimedia , psychology , medical education , medicine , simulation , surgery , engineering , pedagogy , paleontology , systems engineering , world wide web , biology
The aim of this study was to develop and test a scoring system to assess the learning progression of novice dental students using haptic virtual workstations. For the study, 101 first‐year dental students at a UK dental school conducted one practice task (task 1) and four simulated cavity removal tasks (tasks 2–5) of increasing difficulty over two laboratory sessions in 2015. Performance data on the students’ attempts were recorded as haptic technology‐enhanced learning (hapTEL) log‐files showing the percentage of caries, healthy tissue, and pulp removed. On‐screen results were photographed and submitted by the students to the tutors. A scoring system named the Accuracy of Caries Excavation (ACE) score was devised to score these results and achieve an even distribution of scores and a calculated combined score. A total of 127 individual logged attempts by 80% of the students over sessions 1 and 2 were recorded and submitted to the tutors. The mean ACE scores for both sessions for tasks 2 through 5 were 9.2, 11.6, 6.4, and 4.9, respectively; for Session 2 (tasks 3–5), scores were 12.4, 6.7, and 5.0, respectively (p<0.001). The average performance on task 3, which was attempted in similar numbers during both sessions, improved from the first to the second session (8.14 vs. 12.38; p=0.009). Using the HapTEL system in a first‐year BDS curriculum improved the students’ performance of simulated cavity preparation after practicing over two sessions. Use of the ACE scoring system enabled tutors to make consistent assessments across a large student cohort and provided an objective method of formative assessment.