EXPLORING BIOCHEMISTRY TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF USING CHATGPT IN UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative research was to explore how medical educators think about and have experienced the integration of an AI language tool (ChatGPT) introduced at private universities into undergraduate medical education. Findings: twenty-five academic faculty members of the faculties of Private Medical Institutions of Pakistan in Lahore were interviewed using in-depth interviews that continued until data saturation, coded and developed categories. Thematic analysis revealed six primary themes: ChatGPT within pedagogic provision, perceptions of generalizability, pedagogic benefits, concerns and constraints, faculty development requirements and recommendations for in-house use.

Participants identified the potential of ChatGPT for increasing learner engagement, helping students develop clinical reasoning and encouraging degree of self-directed learning. But at the time there were also fears students would become too dependent on AI, inaccuracies in material, digital poverty and a lack of region-specific medical knowledge. Teachers believed that there should be formalized professional development opportunities and policies for the conscientious integration of these tools. the work implies that, though ChatGPT as an educational assistive tool – seems to have promise, the rollouts must be adequately contextualized based on local pedagogic-ethical-infrastructural considerations. This work contributes to the ongoing discussion about the challenges presented by AI in medical education and provides some practical direction for policymakers, educators, and technologists.