Experiences and perceptions of New Zealand oral health students' rapid move to online learning.

Background and objectives: Moving teaching and learning online due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has been well documented. The impact on clinical healthcare students, however, specifically oral health professions, is not well understood. This study investigated the experiences and perceptions of oral health professional students on the swift and unplanned transition to online learning in the only dental school in New Zealand and the barriers and enablers to better learning experiences. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was sent to all BDS, BOH and BDentTech students with 35 ordinal items assessing tutor/teacher factors; student factors; technical factors; and general perceptions of moving to online teaching. Summary statistics were calculated for respondent demographics and each of the items. These were compared between pre-defined groups (age, gender, international student status, ethnicity, and having children) using Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: The response rate was 51%. Overall, the shift to online learning was rated as satisfactory (60.1%) and only 15% of students reported they were not satisfied. Online learning experiences differed based on student age, ethnicity, nationality and living situations. Most of the students felt well-connected to, and supported by, their teachers, and their learning benefited from this. Conclusion: Online learning experiences differed based on demographic and environmental factors. University programmes that predominantly teach face-to-face need to be aware of factors affecting online learning, such as access to space and technology, and ensure support is provided during unexpected events leading to a sudden shift off campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]