Volume 30, Issue 2, 2021
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.4074
Can COVID-19 related apprehensions influence the perception of dental faculty towards online teaching? – A cross-sectional study
Abstract
Background: E-learning for theory sessions and face-to-face practical/clinical sessions are the new norms followed by dental colleges in Saudi Arabia during this COVID-19 pandemic. With the dental faculty being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, it is imperative to study any possible influence of apprehensions related to COVID-19 on their perception towards online teaching.
Methods: 101 dental faculty from Riyadh province, Saudi Arabia participated in this web-based survey which included sociodemographic details and a 16-item self-made questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis of the questionnaire yielded five factors viz. positive, and negative perception towards online teaching (PPOT & NPOT) and apprehensions related to COVID-19: fear of infection (COVID19-FF1), fear of survival (COVID19-FF2) and fear regarding dental practice (COVID19-FF3). Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using SPSS 26.0. P<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Mean scores for the factors were PPOT:3.1±0.94, NPOT:3.2±1.1, COVID19-FF1/FF2/FF3: 3.4±1.0, 2.7±1.1, 3.2±1.1 respectively. Dental faculty from rural areas, with family size< 5 and from clinical dental specialties showed higher PPOT. COVID19-FF3 had a positive correlation with PPOT (P=0.023). Saudi nationals had higher NPOT, clinical dental faculty had higher COVID19-FF1 while basic dental faculty had higher COVID19-FF3. Number of family members, area of specialization and COVID19-FF3 were significant predictors of PPOT, whereas nationality and number of family members were significant predictors of NPOT.
Conclusion: Dental faculty had a mixed perception about online teaching with fear regarding dental practice positively influencing PPOT
Keywords
COVID-19, Online Education, Perception, dental faculty