E-Learning in Dental Education - Essay Example

E-Learning in Dental Education Introduction Knowledge is precious and makes an individual understand the things around and the way they influence each other including the observer. Obtaining knowledge is in itself a pursuit that one has to go through in order to obtain it. In an effort to gain knowledge, the seeker can use various methods in obtaining information (Raj Rattan, 2002). Knowledge and education go hand in hand, whereby one is incomplete without the other. In this context, knowledge and the method to impart it exist in the form of several disciplines that we identify broadly as sciences, arts, literature and medicine etc. among these, the science of medicine is a vast domain within itself that is further subdivided into several sections. Amongst these, the medical science of dentistry is one of the most profound and popular subjects of study that is massive in terms of volume and the amount of information that is available (ADEA, 2005). The context of explaining dentistry alongside education refers to the need with which the required education can be imparted to students. Students receive knowledge and information in a number of ways ranging from classroom teaching to reading books to tapes and videos as also live demonstrations. But, as far as the theoretical knowledge and the sharing of opinion and views are concerned, the volume of information that is available today has called for a need to look towards a different medium of providing this information (NHI, 2002). The rise in the popularity of the internet and its accompanying popular methods of teaching have not only allowed the prospect of making information to be available, but also allowed it to be searchable and presented in a number of electronic formats. As such, the current essay aims to determine the impact of e-learning on dentistry and the benefits and limitations that it comes with. Dental Education Dental science is one of the most widely researched medical sciences in the world today, where new discoveries are being made every day. With tooth decay being acknowledged as the most common disease in the world, it is no doubt that one of the most visited professional during a person’s lifetime is a dentist. Studying to become a dentist requires years of study and practice as the science of studying one’s set of teeth is enormous. Additionally, with a rising population, there is an ever increasing demand for more dentists, which calls for the need to help evolve more professionals by imparting education and allowing information to be easily accessible (Helen Beetham, Rhona Sharpe, 2007). The basic requirement for information and knowledge in the modern world is to allow it to be shared and made widely available. Additionally, dentistry students need to learn several skills and techniques related to various health related procedures that are bound to a patient. E-learning has evolved to become one of the most efficient ways of imparting education. E-learning has allowed a tutor and a student to even be thousands of miles apart and yet receive appropriate education. Online books and journals help students seek information at lightning speeds and does not require them to search among piles of books in libraries or wait for a missing book to arrive (Heather Fry, 2009). E-learning has further helped students learn various techniques and operating procedures by actually viewing the process instead of having to read it from books and visualize them thereafter. This has allowed the student to assimilate information in a better way and helps in recollecting in a better manner (Elaina Norlin, 2008). Universities have taken the initiative to develop tools and online laboratories that provide students with a comprehensive set of tools and interactive games that allow the student to practice the required procedures and techniques as if they were performing them in a real sense. Several universities host repositories of specific clinical materials that can be accessed by students simply from a website (Donna J. Phinney, 1999). E-Learning has also evolved into actual dental practice across the web that has allowed a patient to interact with the dentist across the Internet without requiring them to meet physically. Such a provision has eclipsed the previously popular approach known as Teledentistry, which involved calling up an expert over the telephone for any required medical advice and prescription. In the modern internet era, this also involves consulting experts directly over the internet (Raj Rattan, 2001). such a facility provides additional benefits apart from the mere possibility of a conversation. E-learning has enabled users to store medical cases in web based systems that can be retrieved later for study or review by students. These cases, referred to technically as electronic or digital portfolios can be assembled and managed by a group of administrative users. Information stored electronically can store data in several formats such as electronic files, multimedia, pictures, blogs and web links (ADEA, 2005). Additionally, e-portfolios serve as mediums of self expression where the abilities of the student can be tested and improved over time. Additionally, e-portfolios have the provision to permit varying levels of access to the audience so that a single portfolio may be used for multiple purposes (Helen Beetham, Rhona Sharpe, 2007). E-learning and electronic portfolios have allowed digitized and electronically generated drawing, reports and scans to be exchanged between the dentist and the patient thus allowing for a better examination and diagnosis. The dentist can further keep a record of the patient on the website thus allowing for future reviews and data analysis (Mark Brennan, Richard G. Oliver, 2006). Also, such an approach helps maintain the confidentiality of patient cases by allowing secured access to both parties through appropriate login and access mechanisms. Also, the possibility to pay for services over the internet has fulfilled every requirement of providing medical attention across the web. Thus, modern dental education is paving the way for the creation of Cyberdentists, who are increasingly relying on the Internet to learn, practice and share knowledge. Challenges Though e-learning is fast outpacing traditional methods of teaching, the technology is still in its infancy and need to evolve and attract a larger student base. The use of virtual environments currently allows educational sessions to be conducted either in live or by playing recorded lectures and demonstrations. However, the virtual nature of the learning environment has its own limitations and still prevents the student from being able to feel the atmosphere as witnessed near an operating table in a laboratory (Elaina Norlin, 2008). There is no doubt that learning through videos is many times better over reading from books. However, virtual environments, especially in the case of online universities prevent the student from trying out the procedures themselves unless the university has provisions to do the needful additionally (Mark Bullen, Diane P. Janes, 2006). E-Learning is still in its infancy and this can be simply understood from the fact that despite acquiring the required skills and knowledge on various aspects of dentistry, it is still imperative that actual practice can even now be only acquired through real practice and gaining hands on experience is the only way to acquiring the real experience that is especially required to perform any operating procedure. Thus, in a way E-Learning is a good way to prepare a student for the real world of dentistry. Critics of e-learning have acknowledged that a virtual classroom eliminates the contact between a real patient and the student and believe it to be the best experience that the student is deprived from as a result (John Sweet, 2003). Additionally, critics have also panned E-learning for the seeming absence of unobstructed clinical information as many believe that such information should be publicly available and not restricted based on groups and permissions. One of the common problems faced by medical students is the need to learn and spend some time in learning to use e-portfolios, which presents an additional overhead apart from the existing workload and curriculum. Students have to learn the process of creating and storing cases and information electronically by using suitable presentation software and tools. In many cases, students are also required to learn the basics of creating and operating web pages in order to use e-portfolios effectively (Heather Fry, 2009). Universities have to spend an additional amount in an effort to create virtual learning environments that are certainly beneficial in the long run and lead to increase activity in the creation and use of e-portfolios. This is possible as different class of users apart from students begin to witness the capabilities of online portfolios and tend to use the system for their various purposes ranging from storing student performance records to conducting examinations online (Elaina Norlin, 2008). Thus, e-portfolios are tending to occupy a greater proportion of the workload in medical education. However, the heavy use of images and electronic exchanges between different medical devices to e-portfolios has presented several data interoperability issues. in many cases, users need to view and analyze data from medical equipments such as x-ray scanners through an e-portfolio system. In such cases, enabling such a provision requires considerable investment (NHI, 2002). Thus, developing electronic solution in dental education has its own financial considerations that need to be fulfilled before effective and reliable systems can be put into daily use by students and tutors. E-learning also has certain other limitations that can only be overcome by exposing a student to real time laboratory environments and other forms of hands on learning. providing information and material across the web helps the student gain the required theoretical understanding of the subject. However, the student is still required to undertake the additional effort required to gather the necessary anamnestic data and develop a framework that helps in diagnosis and decision making. these skills cannot be gained through mere reading or tutelage and can only be achieved by experiencing them in real time. as such, E-learning seems to lacks in these areas. Efforts have been underway since a long time to eliminate every deficiency outlined above through several innovative approaches. One of the most profound attempts in this area has been directed towards improving the diagnostic skills of the student. This has been provided through the development of the virtual patient, software that is often developed to provide a life like virtual experience. Using 3D technologies, specially devised software systems enable the patient to create a patient with a particular ailment. the tutor can then guide the student to view the virtual patient, use several tools, understand various forms of diagnosis, experience several scenarios. Advanced versions of such systems even allow the student to perform entire operating procedures providing an experience that resembles a real operating theater. Such systems are also intelligent in nature as they provide solutions, suggestions, analysis, feedback and any other necessary support that may be desired. all this explains that E-learning is certainly gaining momentum in trying to provide the best learning experience to the student. However, the day when they would ultimately succeed in replacing conventional classroom teaching is quite distant and requires considerable effort in the near future (Mark Brennan, Richard G. Oliver, 2006). Conclusion the preceding sections have discussed the concept of E-learning as a definitive form of innovation in the field of learning and education. Universities have understood the valuable benefits that one can achieve by implementing E-learning in their curriculum, especially in the case of dentistry, where there is often a shortage of resources to provide the required facilities and instruction to an ever demanding group of students and researchers. Within the first few years of its introduction, E-learning has projected the immense benefits that students stand to gain by adapting to the provisions of the new technology. However, the discussion has also shown that several limitations exist and E-learning as a concept is still not in a position to assume the position of becoming the sole medium of modern learning. However, efforts in the field have led to numerous innovations such as the Virtual patient, wherein every successive innovation is aiming to improve the user learning experience. with several advances slated in the years to come, E-learning is expected to provide more opportunities to students of dentistry and their instructors alike. References 1. Raj Rattan (2002), Clinical Governance in General Dental Practice. New York: Radcliffe. 2. ADEA (2005), Journal of Dental Education by American Association of Dental Schools, American Dental Education Association Division of Communications. University of California. 3. NHI (2002), The ... guide to the dental industry on the Internet. University of Michigan. 4. Helen Beetham, Rhona Sharpe (2007), Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age: designing and delivering e-learning. London: Routledge. 5. Heather Fry(2009), A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Enhancing Academic Practice. London: Taylor & Francis. 6. Elaina Norlin (2008), E-Learning and Business Plans: National and International Case Studies. New York: Scarecrow. 7. Donna J. Phinney (1999), Delmars Dental Assisting: A Comprehensive Approach. boston: cengage. 8. Raj Rattan (2001), Vocational training in general dental practice: a handbook for trainers. San Jose: Radcliffe. 9. Mark Brennan, Richard G. Oliver (2006), Ethics and Law for the Dental Team. New York: PasTest. 10. Mark Bullen, Diane P. Janes (2006), Making the transition to E-learning: strategies and issues. London: IDEA. 11. John Sweet (2003), Effective Learning and Teaching in Medical, Dental and Veterinary Education. London: Routledge. Read More