RESUMO
Considering the growing trend of information at the current era and development of educational patterns, transforming traditional education into e-learning is becoming increasingly popular. The present study was conducted to compare dental public health course offered through traditional training and e-learning. In this semi-experimental study, 70 senior[11[th] and 12[th] terms] dental students in Shahid Beheshti Dental School who took dental public health course in the first semester of 2010-2011 educational year were selected by census sampling method and assigned to the intervention or control group based on their term. Data were collected using the standard translated version of Distance Learning Attitude Survey [DLAS] questionnaire that was used after determining its validity and reliability. This questionnaire measured the success criteria of e-learning in students. The course was offered online to the intervention and as traditional classroom teaching to the control group for one semester. At the end of the course, a written examination was held for the students in both groups to evaluate their educational progress. Also, students' satisfaction about the educational method was assessed using the translated version of Individual Development and Educational Assessment [IDEA] questionnaire after determination of its validity and reliability. SPSS software was used for data analysis. 36 students, were assigned to the e-learning instruction group13 [36.1%] were males and 23 [63.9%] were females. Thirty four subjects were assigned to the traditional classroom instruction group out of which 10 [29.4%] were males and 24 [70.6%] were females. In terms of demographic characteristics, the only difference between the two groups was in the daily computer usage. The mean +/- SD of the final examination score was similar in the two groups of e-learning and traditional classroom teaching and no significant difference was detected in this respect. Students' satisfaction in the two groups was compared in five domains. The first 4 domains were the instructor's teaching, the educational content, attitude towards the educational course, and difficulty of the course and no significant difference was detected between the two groups in the mentioned domains. The only significant difference between the two groups was observed in the fifth domain namely the final perception and judgment of students [P<0.0001, 2.93 versus 3.85]. All students successfully passed the course. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of the knowledge gained about dental public health. E-learning method successfully achieved its objectives which were the development of positive attitude in students towards online education and obtaining their satisfaction. Given the necessary equipment and under certain conditions, e-learning can be successfully used as a substitute for traditional education in national dental universities