Influence of dentistry students' e-Learning satisfaction: a questionnaire survey

J Med Syst. 2011 Dec;35(6):1595-603. doi: 10.1007/s10916-010-9435-x. Epub 2010 Feb 12.

Abstract

Dental school graduates operating on patients without having had sufficient practice in school is potentially dangerous to the patients. In order to minimize this danger, it is necessary to establish a virtual learning environment for students. In this study, we incorporated DentSim, a clinical dentistry simulator, into an e-Learning platform. In addition to overcoming the time and space constraints on learning, DentSim can simulate clinical conditions. It also allows students to practice reading case histories and inspecting and diagnosing patients. To construct the research model for this study, we incorporated the four major factors for measuring e-Learner satisfaction-'learner interface', 'learning community', 'content' and 'personalization' with the variable of 'intention to use'. The subjects were 350 dental students studying at the College of Oral Medicine. The structural equation modeling (SEM) results showed that Factors that influenced 'intention to use' include 'learner interface', 'learning community' and 'personalization', and 'intention to use' affect 'e-Learner satisfaction' with the system.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Computer Simulation
  • Consumer Behavior*
  • Curriculum
  • Education, Dental / methods*
  • Education, Distance / methods*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intention
  • Internet*
  • Male
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Students, Dental / psychology*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Time Factors
  • User-Computer Interface