Influence of students' self-directed learning on situational interest: A prospective randomised study

Introduction: Evaluate the effectiveness of a newly developed interactive 3D head and neck software package on students' situational interest and knowledge acquisition. Material and Methods: A prospective randomised controlled study was carried out on two groups of dental students, 25 each. The study group “A” received education on head and neck anatomy using an interactive 3D software package. The same content was delivered to the students in group B via the standard PowerPoint presentation. The same lecturer delivered the educational modules over 80 min. Throughout the course of learning, the students completed a situational interest questionnaire, every 20 min. At the end of the session, each participant completed a knowledge acquisition test. Results: Wilcoxon signed-rank sum test showed a clear difference in the pattern of situational interest between the two groups; a statistically significant drop in the interest in the head and neck was noted amongst the students after 40 min in group B (p <.05). An opposite pattern was detected amongst the students in group A. No statistically significant differences were detected in the knowledge acquisition between the two groups. Conclusion: The 3D software package of the head and neck anatomy has augmented the students' situational interest and improved their knowledge acquisition. However, further research is required to evaluate students' perception and experience of its use before it is widely generalised in universities and educational institutes.