The world is changing, more than usual at least. AI is shaking up long established fields and forcing educators everywhere to revaluate how they connect and test their learners. This is understandably uncomfortable but not necessarily a bad thing, even though it feels that way. We’re going to look at what AI really means for health education, how things are changing and what we can do to adapt.
What Is AI Doing To Health Education?
Everyone in education is feeling a bit rattled by AI but it feels like the stakes are just a bit higher for those teaching health. The repercussions for mistakes once those students go into the world, can be life and death.
So how is AI affecting health education and disrupting the system?
The Concerns (Ali et al., 2023)
The use of AI in health education raises concerns about potential cheating and dishonesty in academic work and assessments. Educators need to adapt teaching and assessments to the benefits of learners while mitigating against the inappropriate use of AI-based technology.
How Is AI Helping? (Hasas et al., 2024)
Improving Accessibility: AI technologies are being used to improve access to health education materials and resources. Many students are using AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants to provide personalized health information and answer questions in real-time. This is makes health education more accessible to individuals regardless of their location or time constraints.
Improving Learning Experiences: AI is being used to create interactive and engaging learning experiences in health education. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies can simulate medical procedures and scenarios, allowing students to practice and learn in a realistic and immersive environment. AI algorithms can also analyze individual learning patterns and adapt educational content to meet the specific needs of each learner.
Facilitating Remote Learning: AI technologies were particularly valuable in facilitating remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now virtual classrooms, online learning platforms, and AI-powered educational tools can help students to continue their health education remotely. AI can provide real-time feedback, track their progress, and collaborate with other students and educators in virtual learning environments.
Research shows that the effort to catch cheaters doesn’t really get to the heart of why students cheat. The real problem starts with how schools measure success. From the very start, in the admissions process, students face fierce competition. This pressure doesn’t let up and can lead to cheating as students strive for perfection to keep up with expectations for grades and scholarships (McIntire et al., 2024).
Embrace AI: Teachers should embrace the potential of AI to enhance learning experiences. This means incorporating AI technologies into lessons and curriculum development (Hasas et al., 2024).
Develop AI Skills: It’s crucial for educators to understand and use AI tools effectively. This might mean participating in professional development programs to master AI applications relevant to teaching (Hasas et al., 2024).
Foster Ethical AI Use: Educators must teach students about the ethical use of AI, including understanding biases in AI algorithms and promoting responsible usage (Hasas et al., 2024).
Personalize Learning: AI offers tools that adapt to individual students’ learning styles and paces, allowing for more personalized education (Hasas et al., 2024).
Support Digital Literacy: As AI becomes ubiquitous, educators need to ensure students are digitally literate. This includes understanding how AI works, recognizing biases, and knowing the ethical stakes (Hasas et al., 2024).
Collaborate with AI Experts: Teachers should keep in touch with AI researchers and experts to stay on top of the latest developments and effective practices in educational AI (Hasas et al., 2024).
Emphasize Soft Skills: In an AI-driven world, soft skills like critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration are more crucial than ever. These are areas where humans excel and should be a focus in education (Hasas et al., 2024).