Enhancing AI literacy in undergraduate pre-medical education through student associations: an educational intervention
Abstract Background The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare is rapidly advancing, with profound implications for medical practice. However, a gap exists in formal AI education for pre-medical students. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the AI in Medicine Association (...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07556-2 |
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| author | Spencer Hopson Carson Mildon Kyle Hassard Corbyn Kubalek Lauren Laverty Paul Urie Dennis Della Corte |
| author_facet | Spencer Hopson Carson Mildon Kyle Hassard Corbyn Kubalek Lauren Laverty Paul Urie Dennis Della Corte |
| author_sort | Spencer Hopson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare is rapidly advancing, with profound implications for medical practice. However, a gap exists in formal AI education for pre-medical students. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the AI in Medicine Association (AIM), an extracurricular program designed to equip pre-medical students with foundational AI knowledge. Methods A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was employed, comparing knowledge acquisition between students participating in the AIM program (cohort group) and a control group of students not participating. The intervention spanned four weeks and included hands-on AI training, ethical considerations, data preprocessing, and model evaluation. Pretest and posttest assessments measured AI knowledge and pathology-related skills. Results Participants in the AIM program demonstrated significant improvements in both AI knowledge and pathology-related scores. The cohort group showed a large effect size across all measured domains, particularly in pathology, with Cohen’s d values ranging from 1.83 to 4.74. Statistical analysis confirmed robust, significant improvements in test scores (t-test and Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.001). There was no significant correlation between previous AI experience or attitudes toward AI and overall score improvement. Conclusions The AIM program effectively improved pre-medical students’ understanding of AI and its application in medicine, particularly in pathology. This study highlights the potential of extracurricular programs to address the need for AI education in medical curricula, especially in the pre-medical phase, and suggests that such initiatives could serve as a model for other institutions seeking to integrate AI education into healthcare training. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-098f65cff2984d749ecd513ef6e172c5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-098f65cff2984d749ecd513ef6e172c52025-08-20T04:01:34ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202025-07-012511910.1186/s12909-025-07556-2Enhancing AI literacy in undergraduate pre-medical education through student associations: an educational interventionSpencer Hopson0Carson Mildon1Kyle Hassard2Corbyn Kubalek3Lauren Laverty4Paul Urie5Dennis Della Corte6Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young UniversityDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young UniversityDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young UniversityDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young UniversityDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young UniversityDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young UniversityDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young UniversityAbstract Background The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare is rapidly advancing, with profound implications for medical practice. However, a gap exists in formal AI education for pre-medical students. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the AI in Medicine Association (AIM), an extracurricular program designed to equip pre-medical students with foundational AI knowledge. Methods A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was employed, comparing knowledge acquisition between students participating in the AIM program (cohort group) and a control group of students not participating. The intervention spanned four weeks and included hands-on AI training, ethical considerations, data preprocessing, and model evaluation. Pretest and posttest assessments measured AI knowledge and pathology-related skills. Results Participants in the AIM program demonstrated significant improvements in both AI knowledge and pathology-related scores. The cohort group showed a large effect size across all measured domains, particularly in pathology, with Cohen’s d values ranging from 1.83 to 4.74. Statistical analysis confirmed robust, significant improvements in test scores (t-test and Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.001). There was no significant correlation between previous AI experience or attitudes toward AI and overall score improvement. Conclusions The AIM program effectively improved pre-medical students’ understanding of AI and its application in medicine, particularly in pathology. This study highlights the potential of extracurricular programs to address the need for AI education in medical curricula, especially in the pre-medical phase, and suggests that such initiatives could serve as a model for other institutions seeking to integrate AI education into healthcare training.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07556-2Artificial intelligence educationAI in medicinePre-medical educationMedical AI curriculumPathology AI training |
| spellingShingle | Spencer Hopson Carson Mildon Kyle Hassard Corbyn Kubalek Lauren Laverty Paul Urie Dennis Della Corte Enhancing AI literacy in undergraduate pre-medical education through student associations: an educational intervention BMC Medical Education Artificial intelligence education AI in medicine Pre-medical education Medical AI curriculum Pathology AI training |
| title | Enhancing AI literacy in undergraduate pre-medical education through student associations: an educational intervention |
| title_full | Enhancing AI literacy in undergraduate pre-medical education through student associations: an educational intervention |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing AI literacy in undergraduate pre-medical education through student associations: an educational intervention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing AI literacy in undergraduate pre-medical education through student associations: an educational intervention |
| title_short | Enhancing AI literacy in undergraduate pre-medical education through student associations: an educational intervention |
| title_sort | enhancing ai literacy in undergraduate pre medical education through student associations an educational intervention |
| topic | Artificial intelligence education AI in medicine Pre-medical education Medical AI curriculum Pathology AI training |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07556-2 |
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