3. Empowering AI Literacy in Higher Education:
Co-Creating an Online Learning Resource with Medical and Dental Students 

Authors:  Paula Funnell, Cassandra Lewis and Rawand Shado

Institution: Queen Mary University of London, UK

Situation 

An online resource on AI literacy for medical and dental students at Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom, was designed to promote constructive and ethical use of GenAI in learning and research. This was co-created by a team of students and educators from across Library Services, the Technology Enhanced Learning Team (TELT) and the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (FMD). It supports a pro-innovation approach, recommended by the UK Department for Education (2023), Joint Information Systems Committee (2023), Russell Group of Universities (2023) and Quality Assurance Agency (2023).

Task 

The objective was to actively involve students in tasks that build a lasting understanding of both the responsible applications and limitations of GenAI in learning contexts; exploring effectiveness, safety, and ethical considerations. The co-created AI literacy resource covered various learning aspects such as critical thinking, revision techniques, exam preparation, writing strategies, and research, in keeping with principles of academic integrity and misconduct. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own learning experiences and preferences in utilising GenAI in their personal learning journey. 

Action 

It is fundamental to ensure that students fully benefit from the rapid global AI advancements (Bojorquez and Martínez Vega, 2023), while promoting awareness of maintaining academic integrity and ethical standards. The resource was created at a time when there was little practical, hands-on guidance for students on using AI. It was the first of its kind within Queen Mary, developed utilising the online learning environment (Moodle). Its innovative and inclusive approach involved students in the co-creation process, incorporating their perspectives and feedback into the design, thereby enriching the overall development process. 

A consistent format was adopted across the resource, with distinct tabs for various sections, each further divided into multiple topics. A range of interactive activities, quizzes, videos and real-time examples were provided in line with the University’s accessibility guidance. To support the varied learning needs of students, we harnessed pedagogical principles of active and experiential learning through interaction and reflection. The viewpoints of our diverse team provided a richer, more holistic learning experience. We also engaged with key stakeholders across the University involved with digital education and online learning design, with flexibility in mind, to enable scalability through alignment with different educational settings. 

To ensure sustainability, educators need to allocate time for regular maintenance tasks, including updating content, addressing technical issues, and incorporating feedback from students and other stakeholders. This ongoing commitment to quality assurance and improvement is essential for ensuring the continued relevance and effectiveness of the resource, particularly given the rapidly changing AI landscape.

Results 

The impact of the AI literacy resource is evident from positive engagement statistics. In the first six months, 5,160 accessed the resource, with 577 actively engaging, and 402 downloading certificates for completing the core elements. 

The resource's broad topics and consistent format enable scalability and application to various educational fields. It has been integrated into medicine and dentistry year 1 curricula, with encouragement for use across other FMD courses. Collaboration with other Schools including Business and Management, Engineering and Law indicates potential for broader university impact. This would facilitate a unified approach to GenAI support across the institution, ensuring consistency in the student experience and preparation for the workplace.

Participation in AI literacy initiatives, conferences, presentations, workshops and publications further disseminates this work internally and externally. Furthermore, our team was awarded £10,000 from Queen Mary’s President and Principal's Fund for Education Excellence to support two student interns, and four research and editorial assistants. This ensures the development of the resource with student voice at the centre, and enables scholarship streams to explore student attitudes around the acceptance and use of GenAI. 

Stakeholder Commentary 

The resource was initially piloted with students and educators for quality assurance and to ensure accessibility. Ongoing feedback is sought from students through embedded evaluation forms, with responses from more than 300 participants showing over 80% satisfaction. Free text feedback has highlighted the positive impact of the resource (Figure 1) in terms of increased understanding of how GenAI can be used for learning, whilst acknowledging its limitations and inappropriate use.

Figure 1. A collection of resource evaluation from student perspectives

A common message from educators was that clear guidance on how students can use GenAI ethically was much needed, and perspectives are illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 2. A word cloud of the resource evaluation from educators’ perspectives

Suggestions for improvements allude mostly to the volume of information, and wanting more interactive activities. Our student editorial assistants are evaluating the feedback and identifying key areas from this to continue to develop the resource moving forward. 

References:

Bojorquez, H. and Martínez Vega, M. (2023) The Importance of Artificial Intelligence in Education for All Students. Available at: https://www.idra.org/resource-center/the-importance-of-artificial-intelligence-in-education-for-all-students/ (Accessed: 3 April 2024).

Department for Education (2023) Generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/generative-artificial-intelligence-in-education/generative-artificial-intelligence-ai-in-education (Accessed: 20 March 2024).

Joint Information System Committee (2023) A Generative AI Primer. Available at: https://nationalcentreforai.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2024/03/04/generative-ai-primer/ (Accessed: 20 March 2024).

The Quality Assurance Agency (2023) QAA briefs members on artificial intelligence threat to academic integrity. Available at: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/news-events/news/qaa-briefs-members-on-artificial-intelligence-threat-to-academic-integrity  (Accessed: 20 March 2024).

Russell Group (2023) Russell Group principles on the use of generative AI tools in education. Available at: https://russellgroup.ac.uk/media/6137/rg_ai_principles-final.pdf (Accessed: 20 March 2024).

Author biographies

Paula Funnell

Paula Funnell is Faculty Liaison Librarian for Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London. She is working to ensure students are equipped with the AI literacy competencies vital to succeed in their learning, research and work.

Cassandra Lewis 

Cassandra Lewis is a Clinical Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London, collaborating with students and staff to support AI literacy development and research in GenAI use in higher education.

Rawand Shado 

Rawand Shado is a 4th year dental student at Queen Mary University of London. He is currently conducting qualitative research on student perspectives to improve learning experiences with GenAI and is passionate about using technology for educational innovation.