John Wiley & Sons Inc.
05/05/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/04/2021 23:06
Can Twitter Help Improve Dental Education?
An analysis of published studies indicates that Twitter may be a useful learning tool in dental education.
The analysis, which is published in the Journal of Dental Education, included 7 studies. Studies indicated that the real-time question and answer sessions using Twitter work well in an educational setting. Also, the semi-anonymous interactions on Twitter can be beneficial for students unwilling to speak in front of their peers. Twitter can also make lectures more engaging, and it can be used to ask questions that assess student comprehension.
The investigators noted that there are significant barriers to Twitter's use in dental education, however, including privacy and concerns about professionalism.
'We live in a dynamic world where the use of social media such as Twitter has become part of our daily life. It is amazing that many dentists and dental students from all over the world use Twitter as a live platform in discussing clinical cases and sharing news, knowledge, and experiences,' said senior author Omar Kujan, DDS, PhD, of The University of Western Australia. 'Our study is the first to collate the current evidence regarding the use of Twitter in dental education. Our findings supported the potential for Twitter as a useful learning tool in dental education, but there were some barriers. Future research would help in refining Twitter's use and improve its efficacy in dental education.'
Additional Information
Link to Study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jdd.12621
About Journal
The Journal of Dental Education (JDE) is a peer-reviewed monthly journal that publishes a wide variety of educational and scientific research in dental, allied dental and advanced dental education. Published continuously by the American Dental Education Association since 1936 and internationally recognized as the premier journal for academic dentistry, the JDE publishes articles on such topics as curriculum reform, education research methods, innovative educational and assessment methodologies, faculty development, community-based dental education, student recruitment and admissions, professional and educational ethics, dental education around the world and systematic reviews of educational interest. The JDE is one of the top scholarly journals publishing the most important work in oral health education today; it celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2016.
About Wiley
Wiley drives the world forward with research and education. Through publishing, platforms and services, we help students, researchers, universities, and corporations to achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to all of our stakeholders. The Company's website can be accessed at www.wiley.com.