Let’s chat! Integrating ChatGPT in medical student assignments to enhance critical analysis

Abstract

What is the educational challenge?: Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are overtaking the progress in teaching and assessment. Traditional assignments, such as written reports and posters, have become obsolete as these can be created almost entirely using AI tools. As educators, it is imperative that we devise out-of-the-box assignments to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding, ability to synthesize and think critically, while promoting the ethical and innovative use of AI. What are the proposed solutions?: In place of a traditional literature review essay, our junior medical students were given a structured assignment that required the use of ChatGPT to write a report, a critical analysis of the output, and the creation of a final report using their own research combined with the AI output. How was the solution implemented?: Students were provided with clear guidelines in writing and in the form of an in-person presentation, in addition to guidance during the process of the assignment. What lessons were learned that are relevant to a wider audience?: Using ChatGPT as part of constructing an essay and critically analyzing its output was a beneficial experience for the students, allowing them to recognize the utility and limitations of the widely available version of the AI platform. It also provided them with a sense of openness to new technologies that will support their academic journey. This structure could be generalized for use in a wider scope, to promote the effective and ethical use of AI. What are the next steps?: Implementation of such strategies to develop various types of assessments involving student coursework is at the center of revamping our medical school’s assessments. This successful endeavor represents the spark of innovation at our school which is constantly evolving to address the ever-changing needs of our medical programs.