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University of Alberta Study Shows Generative AI Boosts Health Professions Students Confidence and Critical Awareness
A University of Alberta research team has found that weaving generative AI into health‑profession curricula not only boosts students’ confidence in the technology but also keeps them critically engaged.
Backed by a $25,000 Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund grant, the study spanned nine iterations of eight courses—from pharmacy to physiotherapy and kinesiology—over the past year. Roughly 1,900 students completed pre‑ and post‑participation surveys, revealing a 15‑point lift in overall self‑efficacy on a 0‑100 scale and gains of up to 20 points in course‑specific AI use.
Led by Dr Ken Cor, assistant dean of Assessment and Evaluation in the Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Dr Tim Konoval, assistant teaching professor of Interdisciplinary Health, the researchers deployed custom‑configured AI assistants dubbed Gems, powered by Google Gemini, to coach students in interprofessional learning. Learners could ask Gems about roles such as medical laboratory scientists, receiving explanations that faculty or practicing clinicians then verified. The team underscored the importance of transparency in instructor use of GenAI and of co‑creating usage guidelines with students.
Although confidence rose, students’ overall attitudes toward GenAI stayed steady, echoing a “cautiously curious” stance. Many reported feeling a stronger sense of responsibility for employing GenAI safely and effectively in their future practice. Dr Ken Cor noted that the results fit social‑cognitive learning theory, which holds that meaningful practice opportunities build self‑efficacy—a key predictor of competence.
In pharmacy classes, students turned to GenAI to tackle drug‑information questions that resist simple yes/no answers. They compared AI responses with approved drug‑information sources, observing that the AI coach often corroborated rather than challenged their initial answers. Students flagged this as a limitation and called for more critical feedback.
The team also spotlighted GenAI’s potential for evidence synthesis. Graduate student Rojin Adabdokht highlighted how the technology can aggregate findings from multiple studies, spot common themes, and flag disagreements—skills that are invaluable in evidence‑based disciplines.
Beyond the classroom, the researchers are extending GenAI into clinical practice. Through the AI in Medical Systems Society (AIMSS), co‑founded by PhD student Ehsan Misaghi, a study is underway to assess the accuracy of AI Scribe, a tool that documents clinical encounters. Led by Dr Robert Hayward of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, the project compares scribe‑generated notes with those written by human clinicians across several Alberta family‑medicine clinics.
Tim Konoval is also developing a graduate certificate in AI and health, with applications opening for the first cohort in September 2026. The program will teach the mechanics of AI tools without requiring coding expertise and will explore how AI can support the Quadruple Aim of health care—enhancing patient experience, advancing population health, reducing costs, and improving provider well‑being.
The U of A team additionally offers a free, asynchronous introductory course called Foundations of AI Literacy (Module 0) to equip students and professionals with basic AI literacy skills.
In sum, a modest grant has empowered a small research group to produce high‑quality scholarship on GenAI’s role in health‑professions education. The findings indicate that transparent, critical use of GenAI can boost student confidence, nurture responsible practice, and reinforce evidence‑based care.
Authors are preparing several publications, and ongoing projects—including the AI Scribe evaluation, the graduate certificate, and the AI literacy module—promise to broaden GenAI’s influence across education and clinical settings.
Backed by a $25,000 Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund grant, the study spanned nine iterations of eight courses—from pharmacy to physiotherapy and kinesiology—over the past year. Roughly 1,900 students completed pre‑ and post‑participation surveys, revealing a 15‑point lift in overall self‑efficacy on a 0‑100 scale and gains of up to 20 points in course‑specific AI use.
Led by Dr Ken Cor, assistant dean of Assessment and Evaluation in the Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Dr Tim Konoval, assistant teaching professor of Interdisciplinary Health, the researchers deployed custom‑configured AI assistants dubbed Gems, powered by Google Gemini, to coach students in interprofessional learning. Learners could ask Gems about roles such as medical laboratory scientists, receiving explanations that faculty or practicing clinicians then verified. The team underscored the importance of transparency in instructor use of GenAI and of co‑creating usage guidelines with students.
Although confidence rose, students’ overall attitudes toward GenAI stayed steady, echoing a “cautiously curious” stance. Many reported feeling a stronger sense of responsibility for employing GenAI safely and effectively in their future practice. Dr Ken Cor noted that the results fit social‑cognitive learning theory, which holds that meaningful practice opportunities build self‑efficacy—a key predictor of competence.
In pharmacy classes, students turned to GenAI to tackle drug‑information questions that resist simple yes/no answers. They compared AI responses with approved drug‑information sources, observing that the AI coach often corroborated rather than challenged their initial answers. Students flagged this as a limitation and called for more critical feedback.
The team also spotlighted GenAI’s potential for evidence synthesis. Graduate student Rojin Adabdokht highlighted how the technology can aggregate findings from multiple studies, spot common themes, and flag disagreements—skills that are invaluable in evidence‑based disciplines.
Beyond the classroom, the researchers are extending GenAI into clinical practice. Through the AI in Medical Systems Society (AIMSS), co‑founded by PhD student Ehsan Misaghi, a study is underway to assess the accuracy of AI Scribe, a tool that documents clinical encounters. Led by Dr Robert Hayward of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, the project compares scribe‑generated notes with those written by human clinicians across several Alberta family‑medicine clinics.
Tim Konoval is also developing a graduate certificate in AI and health, with applications opening for the first cohort in September 2026. The program will teach the mechanics of AI tools without requiring coding expertise and will explore how AI can support the Quadruple Aim of health care—enhancing patient experience, advancing population health, reducing costs, and improving provider well‑being.
The U of A team additionally offers a free, asynchronous introductory course called Foundations of AI Literacy (Module 0) to equip students and professionals with basic AI literacy skills.
In sum, a modest grant has empowered a small research group to produce high‑quality scholarship on GenAI’s role in health‑professions education. The findings indicate that transparent, critical use of GenAI can boost student confidence, nurture responsible practice, and reinforce evidence‑based care.
Authors are preparing several publications, and ongoing projects—including the AI Scribe evaluation, the graduate certificate, and the AI literacy module—promise to broaden GenAI’s influence across education and clinical settings.
