Student perceptions of GenAI as a virtual tutor to support collaborative research training for health professionals

• Published in: BMC medical education Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 895 - 8
• Main Authors: McLaughlin, Jacqueline E., Ponte, Cory Dal, Lyons, Kayley
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 01.07.2025; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Active Learning; Allied Health Occupations Education; Artificial intelligence; Chatbots; ChatGPT; Collaborative learning; Cooperative Behavior; Cooperative Learning; Course Descriptions; Critical Thinking; Data Analysis; Data collection; Educational research; Educational Technology; English (Second Language); Ethics; Evaluation Research; Feedback; Feedback (Response); Female; Formative Feedback; Generative AI; Generative artificial intelligence; Group Dynamics; Health Occupations; Health Personnel - education; Human subjects; Humans; Instructional Improvement; Intelligent Tutoring Systems; Interpersonal Competence; Large language models; Learner Engagement; Male; Medical Care Evaluation; Medical personnel; Medical research; Medical students; Medicine, Experimental; Methods Courses; Outcomes of Treatment; Pharmacy; Problem solving; Professional ethics; Professional Training; Professionals; Professions; Project-based learning; Research design; Research skills; Skills; Students; Students, Medical - psychology; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teaching; Training; Workforce development; United States; Generative AI; ChatGPT; Workforce development; Research skills
• ISSN: 1472-6920; 1472-6920
• DOI: 10.1186/s12909-025-07390-6

Research and evaluation skills are essential in healthcare education. Instructors frequently employ collaborative learning models to teach these competencies; however, delivering timely and personalized feedback to multiple groups can be a significant challenge. This study aimed to investigate the potential of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as a tool for providing feedback on students' research ideas. We employed GenAI tools to provide personalised formative feedback during a small-group activity focused on helping students formulate research plans. The activity was implemented within two university courses designed for working health professionals. Students were grouped into groups of 5-7 students and provided clear instructions for how to prompt the GenAI for feedback on their research ideas. Participants completed an evaluation survey at the end of the activity that assessed frequency of use, perceived value, utility, and overall satisfaction. Half of the participants (n = 64, 85.3% response rate) had never used GenAI before (n = 32). Participants agreed or strongly agreed that the feedback provided by the GenAI was valuable (n = 54, 85%), helped them improve their plan (n = 50, 78%), and increased their interest in GenAI (n = 55, 86%). Participant comments described the feedback as favourable, specified an interest in adapting their plan, and rarely indicated a lack of trust or disagreement with the feedback provided. GenAI offers an efficient and satisfactory approach to providing feedback to students for their research ideas. As a supportive tool, GenAI may foster student learning while enabling educators to rethink how and what they focus their time on, with an eye toward helping students understand more nuanced and complex research concepts. This study highlights the potential of GenAI as a virtual tutor, and the need for additional research to explore its benefits and challenges.