title: Acceptance of e-learning devices by dental students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  E-Learning programs and their corresponding devices are increasingly employed to educate dental students during their clinical training.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Recent progress made in the development of e-learning software as well as in hardware (computers, tablet PCs, smartphones) caused us to more closely investigate into the habits of dental students in dealing with these learning techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dental students during their clinical training attended a survey compiled in cooperation with biostatisticians. The questionnaire probands were asked to complete based on previous surveys of similar subjects, allowing single as well as multiple answers. The data, which were obtained with respect to the learning devices students commonly employ, were compared with their internet learning activities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The e-learning devices utilized are of heterogeneous brands. Each student has access to at least one hardware type suitable for e-learning. All students held mobile devices, about 90 percent employed laptops, and about 60 percent possess smartphones. Unexceptional all participants of the survey acknowledged an unlimited internet access. In contrast, only 16 percent of students utilized tablet PCs. A detailed analysis of the survey outcome reveals that an increasing use of mobile devices (tablet PC, smartphone) facilitates internet learning activities while at the same time utilization of computers (desktop, laptop) declines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dental students overwhelmingly accept e-learning during their clinical training. Students report outstanding preconditions to conduct e-learning as both their access to hardware and to the internet is excellent. Less satisfying is the outcome of our survey regarding the utilization of e-learning programs. Depending of the hardware employed only one-third to barely one-half of students comprise learning programs.
authors: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Schulz
authors: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany.
authors: Keyvan
authors: K
authors: Sagheb
authors: Ressort Research and Teaching University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany.
authors: Harald
authors: H
authors: Affeldt
authors: Ressort Research and Teaching University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany.
authors: Hannah
authors: H
authors: Klumpp
authors: Institute for Medical Biometry, Epidemiology and Informatic University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany.
authors: Kathy
authors: K
authors: Taylor
authors: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Walter
authors: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany.
authors: Bilal
authors: B
authors: Al-Nawas
keywords: computer; e-learning activity; smartphone, Internet; tablet PC