Abstract

Aim To describe a simple technical evaluation of the access, security issues and uses of wireless networked PDAs in a dental clinic and report a pilot study investigating students' educational use of PDAs to access a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in a dental clinic.

Objectives To undertake a technical evaluation of wireless networking to PDAs focusing on security issues, robustness of the system and accessibility particularly to educational resources. To evaluate the impact of using a PDA on undergraduate students in the dental clinic and at home.

Design Part II describes the technical and educational evaluation of PDAs used by one group of 12 undergraduate fourth year students in the Primary Dental Care clinic. A cross over trial of six students with PDAs and six without was carried out during one semester of 12 weeks.

Methods Technical issues such as secure internet access using wireless connectivity were addressed. An assessment of the general and educational use and the students' attitudes towards using PDAs was undertaken using online questionnaires and focus group discussions.

Results Over 90% of participants wanted PDAs as part of their dental kit. The potential of PDA use in dental training was demonstrated by a good to excellent response by over 75% of participants to having access to online support materials, particularly videos, being able to make notes for individual study and to keep a diary of their commitments to teaching sessions. Recreational use included a 100% good to excellent response to playing games and keeping a diary.

Conclusion The PDA proved to be a convenient and versatile mode of access to online education. Technical solutions enabled a substantial proportion of the functionality of WebCT (Web Course Tools) to be accessed by the students in a clinical environment. Both novice and experienced users were able to appreciate the use of the PDA and the less able considered that their ICT skills had improved. However, further research is needed to determine how students use a range of new technologies in their undergraduate programmes. The Dental Institute plans to recommend that all students will use this device in the future throughout their five-year curriculum, and the scoping of the implications of this recommendation is underway.

1. Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of Education (Flexible Learning), King's College London Dental Institute, Centre of Flexible Learning in Dentistry, Floor 3, Strand Bridge House, 138–142 Strand, London WC2R 1HH
2. IT Manager, King's College London Dental Institute, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Caldecot Road, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RW
3. Professor and Head of Primary Dental Care, King's College London Dental Institute, Caldecot Road, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RW
4. Emerita Professor of ICT in Education and Senior Research Fellow, Dept. Education and Professional Studies, School of Social Science and Public Policy, King's College London, Franklin Wilkins Building, Stamford Street, London SE1 7NH
5. General Dental Practitioner, 6 Mill Court, Ashford, Kent TN24 8DN

Correspondence to: P. A. Reynolds¹ e-mail: p.a.reynolds@kcl.ac.uk