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

Course content

Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly used within academia, from summarising articles to assisting in academic writing. However, the critical use of this technology within academia requires an understanding of the basic functioning of LLMs, of how LLMs operate in this context, as well as an understanding of the tasks they are supposed to assist with. This course aims to explore how LLMs are (and can be) used in relation to research methodologies within biomedicine, specifically for scientific reading and writing. To this aim, the course will offer a basic introduction to LLMs in the context of tasks such as summarising, writing, and information retrieval. In turn, this basic introduction will also be contrasted to the classical processes of reading, writing, and learning within biomedical education. You will get both theoretical and practical exposure to, as well as hands-on experience with, tools for scientific reading and writing, as well as knowledge on how to critically and effectively use LLMs for the purpose of learning in biomedical research.

Learning outcome

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)

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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

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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)

Admission to the course

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

Within given deadlines the students have to prioritise between the elective courses in StudentWeb.

The course admits up to 30 students.

Formal prerequisite knowledge

You must have completed the teaching and have attended or have a valid absence on the exam in MED2200 ¨C Medisinstudiet, modul 2 in order to present yourself to the examination in the elective courses in the first elective period.

Teaching

• 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.

Examination

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

Language of examination

You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

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.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• How to use AI as a student
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.