Creating immersive learning experiences with AI - colleagues from the Medical Sciences Division explored how this could be achieved with the help of the AI Competency Centre.
The ‘pAIpercast: Paper to podcast’ project aimed to create an immersive learning experience by presenting information as a dialogue between an interviewer and guests. This enables students to distil lengthy research papers into concise podcasts so they can grasp key concepts quickly and in a more engaging format.
The project team was supported by Edward Fauchon-Jones, Senior Research Software Engineer from the AI Competency Centre, who containerised the original code for the product, made this more production ready and deployed it as a Streamlit website. As the project continues to develop, Edward stills acts as a code reviewer for the team.
Following deployment in Trinity term, feedback survey results from students found that podcasts worked well as a second source of information which helped them pick up on missed details from research papers, allowing them to feel more confident when entering discussions. Tutors also saw benefits to student preparation and as a way to help promote inclusive learning. Improvements were suggested in regards to the tone of the podcasts though as students found they were overly positive and lacked scientific nuance.
The team suggests that if others are considering applying AI in teaching and learning that establishing a strong collaborative team with diverse skills; spanning technical expertise, pedagogical understanding, and practical teaching experience across various disciplines and contexts is essential. It is important to not simply deploy AI tools; instead, focus on pedagogical integration by providing clear guidance for students on how to actively engage with the content, and support tutors in designing effective, AI supported learning activities that foster deeper engagement and critical thinking.
AI-Assisted Annotations for Histology
Project Case Study