Exploring Faculty Preparedness for Artificial Intelligence-Driven Dental Education: A Multicentre Study.

Introduction In the modern era, technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), is the centre of digital innovation. AI is revolutionising numerous fields, including the healthcare sector, globally. Incorporating AI in dental education may help in improving the diagnostic accuracy, learners' experiences, and effectiveness of the management of dental education institutions. However, successful implementation of AI requires the faculty's willingness to incorporate it into their practices. Thus, this research aims to explore the readiness of faculty members to integrate AI into dental education. Methodology The study employed a qualitative exploratory design to gather in-depth insights into faculty readiness for AI-driven dental education. Purposive sampling was employed, and 21 faculty members from public and private dental colleges in South Punjab participated in semi-structured interviews. The interviews focused on understanding participants' perceptions, experiences, and challenges related to AI integration in dental education. Thematic analysis was conducted utilising Braun and Clarke's framework to identify key themes and subthemes from the qualitative data using inductive coding. Results Five major themes and 14 subthemes emerged from the data analysis. Faculty members had low AI literacy coupled with diverse perceptions; some participants perceived AI as a solution for revolutionising teaching and learning, while others criticised its misuse as academic misconduct by students, an effect on students' critical thinking, and a threat to conventional jobs. However, most of the respondents also considered AI beneficial for students with remote access or from marginalised populations in terms of accessing and learning from limited resources. Concerns that participants highlighted included a lack of training opportunities, limited facilities, ethical concerns pertaining to data privacy, and assessment bias. Some of the recommendations provided by the respondents include the provision of training opportunities, the allocation of resources and infrastructure, and continuous effective support from institutions for the integration of AI in dental education. Conclusions This study emphasised the readiness of the faculty when it comes to the integration of AI in dental education. The faculty considered AI favourable for digitization and innovative education, although there is a lack of awareness of its application. Regarding the benefits of utilising AI, respondents highlighted its quick response, prediction of students' performance, and flexibility in learning. The challenges included lack of awareness regarding its implementation, inadequate training, lack of availability of resources, lack of institutional support, the problem of data confidentiality, and resistance to change. Suggestions included the provision of technical support, skills training, and the provision of required infrastructure. Participants recommended that AI tools must incorporate cultural and contextually specific content, use technical support for problems, and incorporate constant response systems to improve the AI tools for novice users, especially within developing regions such as Pakistan.

Al-Zubaidi SM ，Muhammad Shaikh G ，Malik A ，Zain Ul Abideen M ，Tareen J ，Alzahrani NSA ，Ahmed Siddiqui A ... -  《Cureus》

Artificial intelligence (AI) -integrated educational applications and college students' creativity and academic emotions: students and teachers' perceptions and attitudes.

Lin H ，Chen Q 《-》

Perceptions of Faculty and Students About Use of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Education: A Qualitative Study.

Artificial intelligence (AI) implies using a computer to model intelligent behavior with minimal human intervention. With the advances of AI use in healthcare comes the need to reform medical education to produce doctors competent in AI use. Therefore, this qualitative study was conducted to explore faculty and students' perspectives on AI, their use of AI applications, and their perspective on its value and impact on medical education at a Saudi faculty of medicine. This qualitative study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University in Saudi Arabia. A direct interview was held with 11 faculty members, and six focus group discussions were conducted with students from the second to sixth year (34 students). Data were collected using semi-structured open-ended interview questions based on relevant literature. Most respondents (91.11%) believed AI systems would positively impact medical education, especially in research, knowledge gain, assessment, and simulation. However, ethical concerns were raised about threats to academic integrity, plagiarism, privacy/confidentiality issues, and AI's lacking cultural sensitivity. Faculty and students felt a need for training on AI use (80%) and that the curriculum could adapt to integrate AI (64.44%), though resources were seen as currently needing to be improved. AI's potential to enhance medical education is generally viewed positively in the study, but ethical concerns must be addressed. Integrating AI into medical education programs requires adequate resources, training, and curriculum adaptation. There is still a need for further research in this area to develop comprehensive strategies.

Salih SM 《Cureus》

Exploring dental professionals' outlook on the future of dental care amidst the integration of artificial intelligence in dentistry: a pilot study in Pakistan.

The purpose of this study is to explore the perspectives, familiarity, and readiness of dental faculty members regarding the integration and application of artificial intelligence (AI) in dentistry, with a focus on the possible effects on dental education and clinical practice. In a mix-method cross-sectional quantitative and quantitative study conducted between June 1st and August 30th, 2023, the perspectives of faculty members from a public sector dental college in Pakistan regarding the function of AI were explored. This study used qualitative as well as quantitative techniques to analyse faculty's viewpoints on the subject. The sample size was comprised of twenty-three faculty members. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data was analysed using theme analysis. Position-specific differences in faculty familiarity underscore the value of individualized instruction. Surprisingly few had ever come across AI concepts in their professional lives. Nevertheless, many acknowledged that AI had the potential to improve patient outcomes. The majority thought AI would improve dentistry education. Participants suggested a few dental specialties where AI could be useful. The study emphasizes the significance of addressing in dental professionals' knowledge gaps about AI. The promise of AI in dentistry calls for specialized training and teamwork between academic institutions and AI developers. Graduates of dentistry programs who use AI are better prepared to navigate shifting environments. The study highlights the positive effects of AI and the value of faculty involvement in maximizing its potential for better dental education and practice.

Qamar W ，Khaleeq N ，Nisar A ，Tariq SF ，Lajber M ... -  《BMC Oral Health》

Faculty's experience in developing and implementing concept-based teaching of baccalaureate nursing education in the Chinese context: A descriptive qualitative research study.

Nursing education faces daunting challenges in preparing graduates to think critically in the context of the complex healthcare system of practice. Concept-based teaching (CBT) is an effective approach used in curriculum reform to cultivate critical thinking and active learning abilities in nursing students. This research aims to investigate faculty's experiences while developing and implementing CBT, and clarify barriers to and facilitators of CBT reform in China. A descriptive qualitative study. A university in middle China. Full-time teachers teaching in a four-year undergraduate nursing program that offers CBT. This study used a purposive sampling method and collected data through semi-structured interviews. The researchers digitally recorded and transcribed each interview verbatim. The conventional content analysis method was used to examine the faculty's experiences while developing and implementing CBT. Theoretical saturation was achieved using ten educators due to the group's high homogeneity. Through the data analysis process, five themes emerged from the participants' descriptions: questioning themselves, taking responsibility, struggling with conflict and stress, recognizing support, and feeling worthwhile. Thirteen subthemes were also identified. The overarching themes extracted from the participants' experiences were struggling with conflict and stress and feeling worthwhile. The faculty's CBT experiences ranged from curiosity and expectation at the initial stage to confusion in the face of challenges at the middle stage. The faculty ultimately believed that their time and energy were well-invested. Faculty faced significant challenges due to students' resistance, peer maladjustment, and inner conflict during the reform process, but the administrators supported their transition and helped them overcome difficulties through change theory-based workshop training. Developing effective strategies was indispensable to reduce both faculty's and students' resistance and negative reactions.

Zhu Y ，Pei X ，Chen X 《-》