Semi-Flipped Classroom-based Learning Interventions in a Traditional Curriculum of Oral Medicine: Students’ Perceptions and Teaching Achievements

Abstract

Abstract Background: In recent years, flipped classes have emerged and become popular in college education. However, they are still not applied comprehensively in medical education owing to the limitations of class time and the lack of objective evaluations of the learning outcomes. This study analysed three educational methods that can be used in oral medicine courses: online education, offline education, and semi-flipped classes. Methods: We used two surveys to evaluate the three educational methods. In the first survey 46 teachers and 238 undergraduates shared their experience of the live-streaming and traditional offline courses offered in the different oral medicine curricula; we used anonymous questionnaires to evaluate their class experience. In the second survey 94 students shared their experience of the semi-flipped and traditional classrooms. Students (who attended the semi-flipped class) in the experimental group learned about the oral mucosa disease by themselves using an online video course and then participated in offline interaction with teachers. The evaluation of the above educational methods was conducted using the anonymous questionnaires and final exam assessment. Results: According to the first survey, teachers and students both agreed that the overall teaching experience and learning effectiveness in offline education are superior to those in online education. According to the second survey, students who participated in the semi-flipped classes performed better in the final exam than those who participated in the simple offline classes. Additionally, the survey showed that the new teaching method helped students gain more knowledge and positively influenced their clinical practice. Conclusions: Compared with the online and offline educational methods, the semi-flipped classrooms showed better results in both the questionnaire and final exam assessment. Hence, the effectiveness of medical education can be improved by adopting a teaching mode that combines online and offline teaching methods. Scientific and logical semi-flipped classroom designs, along with their effective implementation, would eventually make semi-flipped classrooms an important tool for medical education.