An Exploratory Study of Dental Students' Use of Whiteboard Animated Videos as Supplementary Learning Resources in Basic Sciences

Animated videos are being increasingly incorporated into health professions education, but evidence is limited and mixed regarding their educational impact. We have been providing dental students with complimentary access to whiteboard animated videos on a web-based and mobile learning platform. This exploratory study evaluated first-year predoctoral dental students' (n = 143) adoption, perceived value, and impact of the videos as supplementary learning resources in basic sciences. Students were surveyed about their perceived value of the videos, while the host website platform analytics captured video watching patterns. Regression analyses examined the correlation between video watching and students' exam performance. Results showed that the mean score of students' perceived value of the videos was 3.2 on a 4-point scale. The class watched a total of 10, 919 videos throughout the academic year. The number of videos watched by individual students ranged from 0 to 627. Video watching was positively correlated with students' exam performance in biochemistry and nutrition. These findings suggested that students had a favorable attitude towards the animated videos. They frequently used the videos to supplement their learning in basic sciences, but usage varied among individual students. Factors impacting the effectiveness of animated videos such as the complexity of cognitive processing, students' personal differences, and video watching strategies were discussed and future directions were proposed. The study contributed to the literature of whiteboard animated videos in the understudied context of dental education. Experience from our school could help other institutions identify and implement animated videos to augment student learning.