ABSTRACT
Objectives: The novel coronavirus pandemic has become a real challenge for provision of dental education. The aim of this survey study was to evaluate the opinions of dental faculty educators and students about online education after e-learning experience. Materials and Methods: The research was conducted on educators and 4th and 5th grade students at Ankara University, Faculty of Dentistry. Questionnaire items for educators and students were categorized into the following factors: educators'/students' personal and professional skills and attitudes towards online education, online theoretical education, online practical training, online exams, handling and quality of education during pandemic. The data obtained was recorded as percentage (%) and interpreted. Results: 281 undergraduate students and 52 educators participated in this survey study. 36.7% of the students and 24.5% of the educators stated that online courses were as successful as face-to-face education. In addition, 84.2% of the students stated that online learning was not sufficient to acquire clinical skills. 55.9% of the students reported that the educators' effective use of communication methods (videos, surveys, etc.) increased their motivation. 89% of students and 69.8% of educators thought that students should attend in a postgraduate program to acquire clinical skills that they have not acquired due to the pandemic. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that academicians hold a negative view of distance learning as they think online theoretical courses, practical training and exams impaired the quality of learning. On the other hand, dentistry students have a positive attitude towards online theoretical education but are concerned about clinical skill acquisition © This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License