Teaching and learning Oral Radiology via the social medium WhatsApp

• Autor(a) principal: Santos, Glaucia Nize Martins
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Outros Autores: Leite, André Ferreira, Figueiredo, Paulo Tadeu de Souza, Melo, Nilce Santos de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista da ABENO (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revabeno.emnuvens.com.br/revabeno/article/view/356
• topic: Social Networking. Education. Communication. Radiology. Dentistry.; Rede Social. Educação. Comunicação. Radiologia. Odontologia.

Social media can be defined as Internet-based applications that allow the widespread creation and exchange of user-generated content. The ease with which social media can be accessed through numerous mobile devices encourages medical educators to use social media to share content with students outside the classroom. The aim of this study was to introduce WhatsApp as a teaching tool in an Oral Radiology course. The secondary objective was to assess students’ attitudes towards the use of this innovative tool in teaching of dentistry. In the first semester of 2016, 30 second-year undergraduate dental students at the University of Brasília were provided with weekly quizzes via a WhatsApp discussion group. The quizzes consisted of a tomographic or radiographic image from a real clinical case and a multiple-choice question. At the end of the semester students’ attitudes were assessed using a satisfaction questionnaire. The results showed that students had a positive attitude towards the use of WhatsApp and considered it had helped them to learn about Oral Radiology. In conclusion, this technology can improve the way material is taught, since educators are prepared to develop better learning environments and students are concerned about the potential use of the social media in education.