Effects of modified BOPPPS-based SPOC and Flipped class on 5th-year undergraduate oral histopathology learning in China during COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Colleges and universities in China have offered courses based on online teaching platforms as required by the Ministry of Education since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This emergency action was not an expedient measure, but a powerful impetus to improve extant education and implement teaching reform. Oral histopathology is a basic subject in oral medicine education, which combines theory with practice. The course aims to improve the ability of students to observe, think, analyze and identify oral diseases. METHOD: We adjusted and modified the original Bridge-In, Outcomes, Pre-assessment, Participatory Learning, Post-assessment, and Summary (BOPPPS) teaching method to fit the characteristics and needs of oral histopathology. We then combined the characteristics of Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs) and a Flipped class to complete teaching material online, and assessed the effects of such teaching using a questionnaire and interviews. Fifty 5th-year undergraduates in stomatology at the School of Stomatology of Harbin Medical University of China participated in online classes. All were in the junior second half of the semester at the beginning of 2020. Teachers investigated from various medical colleges were responsible for delivering courses associated with stomatology or ophthalmology. RESULT & CONCLUSION: The results showed that the modified BOPPPS combined with SPOC and the Flipped class improved teaching satisfaction. Modified BOPPPS combined with SPOC and the Flipped class is a useful complement to offline teaching on 5th-year undergraduate oral histopathology learning in China during COVID-19, and it can meet the multiple needs of students participating in the course. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-021-02980-6.