Background:

In 2020, due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, the teaching methodologies had to be adapted to allow social distancing and avoid contamination at universities. Technology was an important aid to cross those barriers. This study describes and assesses the economic impact of including information and communication technology (ICT) in adapting educational activities at two universities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

Dental School of the University of São Paulo (FOUSP) in Brazil and The Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) in the United States are engaged in Initiatives for Undergraduate Students' Training in Cariology (IuSTC). Their educational staff modified teaching approaches to continue training dental students for caries detection with tutored and active learning strategies using available ICTs. Resources used during the activities were valued considering the perspective of the educational Institution. The costs of implementing the adapted methodologies were valued in the local currency and converted to international dollars.

Results:

Teaching methods for caries detection during the pandemic were implemented by hybrid teaching models, mixing online and in-person activities. The ICT strategies were created based on a previous base methodology, part of IuSTC. The innovative approaches included gamification and virtual laboratory (FOUSP, n = 80), virtual classes, and online feedback (IUSD, n = 105) to engage the students using active learning methodologies. Both institutions successfully taught a complete group of students during the pandemic. The cost of developing and delivering the adapted teaching methodologies was about $64 to $71 per student for the FOUSP and $78 per student for the IUSD. In the overall cost composition, values assigned to facilities and instructional materials were less significant. Even based on ICT, human resources in teaching strategies represented the most expensive ingredient for both institutions, constituting 95% and 51% of the expenses for FOUSP and IUSD, respectively. Some adaptations have been used after pandemic control.

Conclusions:

The adaptations based on ICT permit the institutions to proceed with their active methodologies, given the barriers imposed by the pandemic. The imposed challenge demanded creativity and a considerable university investment, but the benefits surpassed the pandemic. Trial registration IuSTC-01: https://doi.org/10.2196/resprot.7414. Economic analysis associated with IuSTC-01: www.osf.io/wa6x2.