Preparing Generation Z of Health Professions for Artificial Intelligence Revolution Through Hacking Education: An...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
• Digital Health

Background:

• Formal artificial intelligence (AI) education for health profession students is limited, despite AI's growing integration into healthcare.
• Generation Z students, as digital natives, require tailored, innovative instructional methods for AI learning.
• This study addresses the need for effective AI training in medical curricula.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of an innovative course utilizing hacking education principles for Generation Z health profession students.
• To assess the impact of this novel AI educational approach on students' understanding of key AI concepts.

Main Methods:

• A single-group pre- and post-test interventional study was conducted with 81 health profession students.
• A 100-hour flipped classroom course was delivered, incorporating group discussions, communities of practice, peer teaching, and gamification.
• Educational needs were identified by an expert panel, and pre- and post-course questionnaires assessed AI familiarity.

Main Results:

• Post-course assessments revealed significant improvements in students' familiarity with AI domains.
• Key areas of improvement included programming languages, machine learning, AI applications in healthcare, data science, image processing, deep learning, neural networks, and statistics (all p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• The hacking education-based AI course effectively enhanced health profession students' AI competencies.
• Integrating structured AI training into medical curricula is crucial for preparing future healthcare professionals for AI-driven clinical environments.