Teaching experiences during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic in a Brazilian School of Dentistry

Abstract

The coronavirus outbreak (2019) represents a public health emergency of global concern. Several measures have been taken to minimise the risk of infection among the population, including social distancing, working from home, closure of non-essential activities since the detection of the first case in Brazil. This study describes the teaching experiences during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic in a Brazilian School of Dentistry. The State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) was the first public university in Brazil to stop all the classroom activities on 13th of March 2020 due to COVID-19, followed by other universities. UNICAMP developed several initiatives and created a special support page for digital teaching, where it is possible to obtain guidance, support materials for teachers and a space for exchanging messages (e-mail and chat) for specific guidelines. UNICAMP has started lending computer equipment to undergraduate and graduate students according to socioeconomic criteria. Along with the equipment, 500 chips have been delivered with 10 GB of internet so that these students are able to access the network and carry out the remote activities related to their courses. In conclusion, quality education is the key-element in forming high-quality professionals that will in a near future provide health care for the community, be part in international research groups and become lecturers.