Two New SUND Projects Explore AI in Education from Different Perspectives
Two educational projects at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences have received approximately DKK 8 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation's PREPARE initiative to investigate how artificial intelligence is shaping the future of health sciences education.
The projects focus on different aspects of AI in education. One examines how generative AI influences first-year students' study practices, academic development, and understanding of academic norms. The other aims to develop and test new teaching and assessment approaches for the forthcoming Bachelor's programme in Technology-Driven and Data-Driven Medicine (MedSTEM), which is being established in collaboration with DTU.
AI and Academic Norms
The project When AI Reshapes the Implied Student in Education: Norms and Academic Skill Development in the First Year is led by Professor Nicole Schmitt (BMI) in collaboration with Associate Professor Katerina Tritsaris (ICMM). The project focuses on first-year students across six health sciences programmes.
The project investigates how students and instructors understand norms related to the use of generative AI, and how these norms influence learning and study behaviour.
"The key question is not only whether students use generative AI, but which norms and expectations they navigate. If students believe that 'everyone else' is using AI in particular ways, this can influence their own study practices and their understanding of what it means to be a successful university student," says Nicole Schmitt.
The project will map student and instructor expectations at the start of university studies, develop data-informed student personas, and test educational activities designed to make norms and expectations more explicit. The goal is to create practical tools and a programme-specific framework for the transparent and academically meaningful use of generative AI in first-year teaching.
AI as a Tool for Innovation and Reflection
The second project, BioDesign with Innovation Labs & AI-Coached Programmatic Assessment: An Innovation Framework for the MED-STEM Program, is led by Interim Programme Director and Clinical Associate Professor Steven Andersen (IKM).
The project will explore how new teaching formats can strengthen education in innovation and technology within the upcoming MedSTEM programme, which is being developed in partnership with DTU. Using a BioDesign-inspired approach, students will work to identify clinical needs and develop solutions through activities such as prototyping, programming, and project development.
A central part of the project is the development of a digital portfolio and an AI-based reflection coach to support students' learning and competence development. AI is not intended to replace instructors' academic judgement, but rather to serve as a tool for reflection, feedback, and documentation of learning over time.
"We want to develop teaching approaches in which students not only learn about innovation and technology but actively work to translate clinical needs into concrete ideas and solutions. AI can support reflection and learning when it is clearly aligned with academic objectives and the pedagogical framework," says Steven Andersen.
Independent Projects with Shared Dialogue
The two projects are independent and have different objectives, but both investigate how AI affects learning, feedback, and the development of professional judgement. The project leaders therefore expect to exchange ideas and insights throughout the process.
"The projects have different starting points, but we are addressing related questions: How can we use AI in ways that strengthen learning rather than simplify it? And how do we support both students and teachers in developing professional judgement at a time when technology is evolving rapidly?" say Nicole Schmitt and Steven Andersen.
The projects come at an important time, as universities worldwide are grappling with precisely these questions. Vice Dean for Education Jørgen Kurtzhals sees the projects as a valuable contribution to universities' ongoing work with AI in education.
"All universities are struggling to find meaningful ways of working with, and without, AI in order to provide students with the necessary AI competencies while also ensuring the development of strong disciplinary skills, critical thinking, and analytical judgement. These two projects have the potential to make a significant contribution to that challenge well beyond their immediate context," says Jørgen Kurtzhals.
Both projects will run for three years and are expected to generate new knowledge and practical models for the development of future health sciences education.