Purpose: The aim of this study was to confirm the applicability of YouTube as a delivery platform of lecture videos for dental students and to assess their learning attitudes towards the flipped classroom model.
Methods: Learning experiences after using the YouTube platform to deliver preliminary video lectures in a flipped classroom were assessed by 69 second-year students (52 males, 17 females) at Dankook College of Dentistry, Korea, who attended periodontology lectures during 2 consecutive semesters of the 2016 academic year. The instructor uploaded the lecture videos to YouTube before each class. At the end of the second semester, the students were surveyed using a questionnaire devised by the authors.
Results: Of the students, 53 (76.8%) always watched the lecture before the class, 48 (69.6%) used their smartphones, and 66 (95.7%) stated that they watched the lectures at home. The majority of the students replied that the video lectures were easier to understand than in-person lectures (82.6%) and that they would like to view the videos again after graduation (73.9%).
Conclusion: Our results indicate that YouTube is an applicable platform to deliver video lectures and to expose students to increased learning opportunities.
Keywords: Dental education; Educational technology; Flipped classroom; Republic of Korea; Smartphone.