Maria Lourdes D. Doce, DMD, MHPEd
comparative study, computer assisted instruction, lecture-demonstation method, teaching, denstistry
The information technology (IT) infrastructure and the newly acquired laboratory equipment of the Davao Medical School Foundation, Inc. (DMSFI) provide an environment conducive to computer assisted instruction (CAI), an alternative teaching strategy that has gained ground in medical and allied health education. Elsewhere in the world, the global computer revolution creates the impetus for DMSFI faculty to integrate this innovation into the curriculum and augment the traditional lecture method. This study compared the effectiveness of CAI and the lecture-demonstration method on students’ knowledge and skills acquisition and determined their attitudes towards the use of the two strategies. Twenty-two sophomore dental students enrolled in Restorative Dentistry II were matched and randomly assigned to the lecture-demonstration and CAI groups. Class sessions for both groups followed the same learning objectives, but differed in the teaching strategy employed to deliver content. The instruments used to measure changes in the students’ knowledge and skills were a written exam and a practical test developed with the help of the course instructor. These tests were devised specifically for the requirements of this study. To ensure the validity of these measures, they were first pilot tested on junior and senior dental students who had already passed the course. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was used to test the reliability of these instruments. Separated questionnaires were developed to measure attitudes towards the instructional strategy. Based on the scores obtained by thw two groups on the written and practical tests, it is indicated that CAI is just as effective as the lecture-demonstration method in techning concepts of Restorative Dentistry. However, based on the results of the attitudes measures, the students perceived the lecture-demonstration method to have been more effective. It is recommended that computer assisted instruction be encouraged as a supplemental teaching strategy at the DMSFI College of Dentistry.