Learning by Concordance as a Tool for Paediatric Dental Traumatology Education.

Abstract

Introduction: A learning by concordance (LbC) tool including 33 vignettes was developed jointly by teachers from the Y and the University of X to train undergraduate dental students in paediatric dental traumatology. The aim of this work was to present a learning tool not yet described in the community of dental educators. The method was presented on two different electronic platforms to two groups of students. Different modalities were compared.

Methodology: International panellists were asked to detail their reasoning for resolving ambiguous or complex situations described in clinical vignettes. Two groups were approached: a first group composed of students new to LbC (Y group) and a second group that had already experienced this type of learning method (X group). The modalities of training management differed according to the groups: Y group used the Wooclap platform and responded on a 5-modality Likert scale, while X group used Moodle and a 3-modality Likert scale. Student volunteers were able to complete a qualitative survey about the training. The main indicator used was students' opinions and feelings about different aspects of the tool.

Results: The training was completed by 121 students, 53 of whom agreed to give their opinion on the tool. Consistent with current knowledge, we found that novices had difficulty answering a 5-modality Likert scale because of the subtle difference between two close answers.

Conclusion: This is the first study to introduce a LbC tool in dental education and the results showed a strong interest in this type of pedagogical tool, regardless of the online platform used.