Student Perspective Of Classroom And Distance Learning Method During Covid-19 Pandemic In The Undergraduate Dental Study Program

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global health issue and has had a major impact on education. Consequently, half way through the even semester of the academic year 2019/2020, learning methods were delivered through distance learning. This study aimed to evaluate the s tudent perspective of distance learning compared to the classroom learning in the undergraduate dentistry study program at the Faculty of Dentistry Universitas Indonesia. Methods: An online questionnaire was sent to dental students of Universitas Indonesia at the end of the semester. Three hundred and one undergraduate dental students participated in the study, with 83.4% response rate. The internal consistency reliability questionnaire was measured by Cronbach’s alpha. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with the students’ preference towards distance learning. Results: Duration of study influenced student preference on distance learning (DL). Significantly higher number of first-year students preferred DL compared to their seniors (pConclusion: Despite some challenges, dental students could adapt to the new learning methods of full DL and the majorities agreed blended learning that combined classroom and distance learning can be implemented henceforth. This current COVID-19 pandemic, changes not only the utilization of technology in education but the pedagogy strategies in the future.