MED3008 – Critical use of generative AI in medicine and health sciences research and education

Knowledge

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• explain how LLM algorithms work at a basic level when it comes to how they "explain" concepts, provide and summarise information, and write academic texts
• identify strengths and weaknesses in the use of LLMs for the purpose of learning in medicine and health sciences
• reason through the subjective experience of reading and writing with and without the assistance of an LLM
• have in-depth knowledge of research methods used in medicine and health sciences (common for all electives)

Skills

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• approach critical reading and academic writing in a systematic way within the context of medicine and health sciences
• effectively extract information from biomedicine and clinical research articles
• align and contrast the benefits and costs of using an LLM for specific learning purposes
• critically evaluate the output of an LLM on biomedicine and clinical research topics

General competence

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• critically evaluate the most effective course of action in reading and writing assignments, including choosing among different tools suited to your specific aim (traditional writing tools, reading tools, and LLMs)

The course is reserved for students at the professional study in medicine.

Separate deadlines apply for admission to this course. See admission information and deadlines for elective courses.

The course admits up to 30 students.

• Full time study
• Form of teaching: teaching for this course will follow dialogue-based pedagogies and will include short introductory lectures followed by group discussion (including anonymous contributions, group, and plenary discussions) and hands-on activities (including group assignments).
• Students are expected to read and write during seminar time, including writing by hand (exceptions to this can be made on a case to case basis if needed). Materials for in-class writing will be provided when necessary. A portable device capable of running local UiO LLM-based tools will be required.
• Course materials in the course content pages and in My Studies may not be distributed or published without special permission from the owner of the copyright to the material.The study of medicine is a full-time study.

Portfolio assessment.

The examination is based on an in-class portfolio submission comprising cumulative individual and group assignments produced during the seminar.

Information about exams and grading, including previous exam papers and grading guidelines, at the Faculty of Medicine

All students who fail or have a valid reason for absence from the regular exam will be registered for a resit/deferred exam. In case of failing or having a valid reason for absence from the resit/deferred exam, the student may continue in the study program and take the exam in the subsequent elective period (the following January). The student must have taken and passed the elective course by the end of the second elective period in the study program at the latest.

Students who fail or have a valid reason for absence from the regular exam may be given a different form of assessment in the resit/deferred exam.