2 Introducing Students to Generative Artificial Intelligence
Karen L. Bravo, PhD, MSN, RN
AUTHOR Bio
My name is Karen Bravo, PhD, MSN, RN. I have been a Clinical Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing and Health Information (CONHI) at the University of Texas at Arlington for six years and at other schools for 10-20 years. I am a Lead teacher in an undergraduate nursing course and am an instructor in the precepted nursing Capstone Clinical course. My background is in both the public and private arenas, including restarting the Nursing Program at Mountain View College (part of the Dallas College system) and multiple years in setting up clinics and Home Dialysis centers in the United States. My PhD is in General Psychology with an Emphasis in Integrating Technology, Learning, and Psychology, so my interests are varied. Updating and encouraging students to be aware of technology and artificial intelligence is my current passion so I repeatedly ask students about their level of knowledge and try to give them newer updates and understanding.
Course Context
This activity is designed to be adaptable to a variety of contexts, but it was originally designed with the following student population in mind:
- Discipline: BSN Nursing
- Level: Undergraduate
- Course Name: NURS 4323 Health Policy, Legal Aspects, and Informatics in Nursing
- Modality: Face-to Face
- Context: The above course introduces nursing students to health policy making, informatics and technology, and reinforces the legal aspects of nursing.
- Number of Students: 150-175
Activity Overview
Generative Artificial Intelligence is a type of artificial intelligence that creates new knowledge/content using deep learning models programmed into the network. The following formative activities describe AI and provide an example of its use. This activity consists of a PowerPoint about GenAI with a completed GenAI-produced example. The prompt used is: “I have a job I am interested in but do not want to commit to until I do other interviews. Please devise a letter/email that keeps all the job interview options open.” The activity then includes a discussion of the inherent ethical and other issues in using artificial intelligence and what the student must know to avoid any pitfalls. Students must discuss the validity of the information, fact-check the outputs and the references for accuracy.
Following the example, students create a love poem using certain word prompts in either the free version of ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot. The total assignment benefits creativity, critical thinking, and ethical behaviors related to the uses of AI. Many, if not most, other educational institutions/colleges may use this assignment. Although presented in undergraduate nursing, other educational areas or grades can benefit. For example, creating a difficult math problem, writing a computer program, or researching a history assignment.
Directions
For Instructors
- A PowerPoint or oral discussion of the basic use of existing generative artificial intelligence is offered, to include the free version of ChatGPT and/or Microsoft’s Copilot.
- An example of AI use is presented. For this example, the instructor shows a prepared document with the prompt “I have a job I am interested in but do not want to commit to until I do other interviews. Draft an email that keeps my options open.” The AI’s response would also be included. This example allows students to view the use of AI.
- A discussion follows on how to cite AI and the pitfalls of references.
- Students are reminded that they are responsible for the AI outputs as being legitimate (checking the sources quoted).
- Students must fact-check the outputs of AI (including references) to ensure that the facts are true.
- Students must cite ChatGPT or CoPilot accurately.
- After the presentation, ChatGPT or CoPilot is pulled up on the screen and students call out objects in the room, such as a banana or lollipop, to create a rhyming love poem. This demonstrates how instant results are produced and the quality of the AI response, as well as the benefits to creativity.
For Students
- After a PowerPoint presentation on Generative AI, students must fact-check the document example and verify the accuracy of the references.
- Next, students help create a rhyming love poem using objects in the class, such as a banana and a lollipop to see how instantly results are produced and the quality of the whimsical document.
Benefit to Students
- This is a formative assignment introducing the importance of keeping current in informatics, technology, and digital literacy. The assignment discusses the inherent ethical and other issues in using artificial intelligence and what the student must know to miss any pitfalls. Examples include the validity of references and content, whether references/content are peer-reviewed (or blogs or advertisements), was AI an allowable alternative to an assignment, are the references and citations APA styled, etc.
- Critical thinking is utilized to validate accuracy of the information presented.
- Creativity is also emphasized in the “love poem” section of the activity.
Assessment
This is an ungraded in-class formative activity so no formal assessment will occur. However, students are given time to explore AI in class as a sandbox for future use. Students may use free versions of ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot.
Cross-Disciplinary Applications
Any educational course could use this assignment. For example, writing code for a computer problem or getting help with a calculus question. Again, students must check the work outputs to ensure accuracy and cite AI performance correctly.
AI Disclosures
This chapter containts AI-generated content.
Mavs Open Press defines work as AI-generated when it is produced by a generative AI tool in response to a prompt from an author. AI-generated content may be in any format, including text, data, images, videos, or audio files. The content may or may not be edited or modified by the author after it is generated.
