Impact of voluntary workshop attendance on academic performance and overall student satisfaction: a study among commissioned and university-enrolled dental hygienist students

At Karolinska Institutet, we offer a specialized microbiology course designed for commissioned and university enrolled dental hygienist students. Given the diverse demographics—varying in age, backgrounds, study habits, self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation—we adopted a student-centered approach to enhance engagement. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between workshop attendance and academic performance. To evaluate this, we employed an extensive course evaluation form to gauge student satisfaction with the course format. Simultaneously, academic success was assessed through written summative in-class examinations. The results were striking: workshop attendees achieved significantly higher median scores (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) compared to non-attendees. Furthermore, the number of students passing with distinction was notably greater in the group that actively participated in workshops (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Feedback from students reinforced the effectiveness of our approach. Most appreciated the course, and those attending workshops found this learning model particularly beneficial. The inclusion of workshops not only improved academic outcomes but also indicated a deeper level of engagement. Notably, combining digital tools with workshops emerged as a promising strategy for fostering student-centered learning, especially within heterogeneous student populations. In summary, our findings underscore the importance of tailored approaches to accommodate diverse learners, emphasizing the value of active participation and blended learning methods. At Karolinska Institutet, a specialized microbiology course is provided for commissioned and university-enrolled dental hygienist students. The course has a student-centered approach to fit students’ diverse backgrounds and learning styles. Our study examined how attending workshops impacted academic performance. We found that students who participated in workshops scored significantly higher and with more distinctions compared to those who did not. Feedback from students highlighted the effectiveness of the approach, and many students appreciating the course format. Combining digital tools with workshops proved to be a successful strategy, enhancing both engagement and academic outcomes. The study underscores the importance of tailored, active, and blended learning methods to support diverse learners.