Incivility in online learning environment: Perception of dental students and faculty. Issue 12 (6th July 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Farid, Huma; Hasan, Sana Jalil; Naveed, Ayesha; Hyder, Pakiza Raza; Shaikh, Gul Muhammad; Pasha, Lubna
• Is Part Of: Journal of dental education. Volume 86:Issue 12(2022)
• Page Start: 1591
• Page End: 1601
• Publication Date: 2022-07-06
• Subjects: dental education -- dental faculty -- dental students -- Incivility -- online learning; Dentistry -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Dentistry -- Study and teaching; Education, Dental; Dentisterie -- Étude et enseignement -- Périodiques; Tandheelkunde; Onderwijs; Periodicals; Periodical; Electronic journals; 617.6007
• DOI: 10.1002/jdd.13031
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-0337

Abstract

Abstract: Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the extent of incivility and perception of dental students and faculty regarding uncivil behaviors in the online learning environment. Methods: Incivility in online environment (IOLE) survey was used to collect data from dental students ( n = 232) and faculty ( n = 35) at Margalla Institute of Health Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan from September to December 2021. A 4‐ point Likert scale was used for respondents to indicate their perceptions regarding incivility in IOLE, and a list of students' and faculty's uncivil behaviors. Descriptive analysis, chi‐square test, and Spearman's correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. The level of significance was kept at ≤0.05. Results: The majority of the students reported online incivility as either "a moderate or serious problem" ( n = 103, 72.0%), and the majority of faculty ( n = 12, 56%) reported incivility as "no to a mild problem" ( p = 0.018). Both students and faculty agreed that students are more likely to engage in uncivil behavior in OLE as compared to faculty. Various forms of rude/threatening comments and posting ambiguous or vague responses that do not add meaning to the online discussion were considered uncivil student behaviors by both students and faculty ( p ≤ 0.05). Assigning grades without providing useful feedback and threatening to fail students for not complying with faculty's demands were perceived as uncivil faculty behaviors ( p ≤ 0.05). Female students and students with less self‐reported expertise in online learning had greater mean scores for faculty uncivil behaviors ( p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Incivility exists in OLE in dentistry with the more likely engagement of students in uncivil behaviors. With the increasing use of online platforms for education in dentistry, there is a need for further research and training courses for both students and faculty to reduce the extent of incivility and create a healthy and conducive learning environment.