Principal Investigator:
Hakan Turkkahraman, Associate Professor, Department of Orthodontics and Oral Facial Genetics, School of Dentistry.
Project Title:
Advancing Craniofacial Growth and Development Education Through Extended Reality
Funding Level:
$5,000
Abstract:
Objectives: This study evaluated whether integration of extended reality (XR) enhances graduate students’ understanding of craniofacial growth and development and examined its effects on student satisfaction, perceived learning, and engagement.
Materials and Methods: Fourteen graduate orthodontic students (10 females, 4 males) participated in a five-week randomized crossover study. Participants alternated weekly between XR-enhanced instruction (virtual and/or augmented reality) and traditional instructional methods, including lectures, textbooks, and static models. XR instruction incorporated three-dimensional visualizations, interactive exercises, and immersive simulations. Student understanding was assessed using weekly mini-quiz scores. Satisfaction, perceived learning, and engagement were measured using Likert-scale exit surveys. XR application analytics—including total usage time, average simulation scores, and in-application quiz scores—were collected. Group differences were analyzed using mixed-model ANOVA with covariates for instructional week, gender, and prior XR experience. Ranked mini-quiz scores were used due to non-normal data distribution. Correlations between XR analytics and assessment performance were examined.
Results: Mini-quiz scores differed significantly between instructional conditions (p<0.05), with slightly higher scores observed during traditional instruction (9.63±0.91) compared with XR instruction (9.39±0.85). Gender and prior XR experience had no significant effects. Overall satisfaction was significantly higher for traditional instruction (p<0.05). Although perceived learning and engagement did not differ significantly between conditions, both were marginally higher during XR instruction. Significant inverse correlations were identified between mini-quiz scores and total XR usage time (r =−0.53, p<0.05) and average simulation scores (r =−0.59, p<0.05). No significant correlation was observed between in application quiz scores and mini-quiz performance.
Conclusions: XR-enhanced instruction was associated with increased perceived
learning and engagement but did not improve short-term assessment outcomes or overall satisfaction. Improved content alignment and timing of XR implementation may enhance its educational effectiveness. Further investigation among early stage pre-doctoral dental students may clarify the potential benefits of XR in foundational craniofacial education.