Institution:  Trinity College Dublin

Discipline:   Health Policy and Management

Author:  Carlos Bruen

GenAI tool(s) used: ChatGPT 3, ChatGPT 4, and Google Gemini

Situation / Context

We are running the MSc in Health Policy and Management, a new (Sep 2023) postgraduate level programme at the Centre for Health Policy and Management, Trinity College Dublin School of Medicine. This programme has both full-time and part-time students. While the majority of the programme is delivered in person, this is supplemented and supported with live online lectures and curated (short, pre-recorded video to explain a learning activity) sessions designed for flipped-classroom teaching. In 2024-25, 17 EU and Non-EU resident students are registered for the programme.

Task / Goal

Our assessments combine presentation and take-home assignments. We recognised the risks and opportunities of GenAI with these assessment formats. Taking the position that GenAI is staying with us, we sought to find ways to:

• teach students about GenAI;
• set out a clear policy on the use of GenAI in the context of academic integrity;
• integrate GenAI in assessments in novel ways.

We introduce GenAI from the outset, as part of the learning process and as students and staff begin working together.

The primary goal is to raise critical awareness about GenAI in the context of academic integrity, with secondary goals including skilled and appropriate use and referencing in assessments.

Actions / Implementation

• Teaching students about GenAI:

We opened the academic year with a session on GenAI (what it is, when it is appropriate/inappropriate to use it, ethical and sustainability issues related to GenAI, and other new AI tools that might be of use (e.g. Elicit – an AI Research Assistant). In research methods training, we look in more detail on alternative AI tools like Elicit for literature reviews/scanning.

• Setting out a clear policy on the use of GenAI in the context of academic integrity:

We included a section in the course handbook that considers the ethical context of GenAI, as well as procedures for declaring where GenAI has contributed to content development within assignments.

• Integrating GenAI in assessments into novel ways:

We submitted a prompt to GenAI on a module-related issue. Students were asked to critique the GenAI output drawing on the relevant literature and class sessions. This is linked to critical thinking learning outcomes at module and course levels. This proved to be a successful way for students to demonstrate their learning and analytic skills and is being continued into 2024-25.

Outcomes

While we set out guidelines and policies on declaring GenAI use, no student declared their use in 2023-24. Students incoming in 2024-25 have expressed an intention to use GenAI in written assignments, which will provide us with a base for reviewing the policy and student practice from 2025.

We further revised the course policies and guidelines in advance of 2024-25, including updated guidance on how to correctly cite GenAI use in assessments using standardised citation criteria.

Students have spoken positively about the time being given to learn more about GenAI and for our focus on being explicit about its risks and opportunities. This also provides them with an opportunity to see some limitations of GenAI outputs.

Reflections

This is our second year incorporating GenAI. It is a significant learning curve and was helped by attending presentations and discussions by peers who are grappling with similar issues.

By repeatedly running our draft assignments through GenAI, patterns are emerging in how GenAI structures particular questions. We will need to continue doing this to ensure we are alert to developments in GenAI, including ongoing improvements of GenAI outputs.

Author Biography

Dr Carlos Bruen is Assistant Professor in Health Policy and Management and Course Director of the MSc in Health Policy and Management, Trinity College Dublin. His research and teaching (as module lead/co-lead at postgraduate and doctorate levels) focuses on different dimensions of health systems and policy at national and international levels, including health policy and governance; comparative health systems and policy analysis; and knowledge translation and mobilisation for policy and practice.