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Collaborative Learning with AI

Attribution

Original work: "Educators' guide to multimodal learning and Generative AI" — Tünde Varga-Atkins, Samuel Saunders, et al. (2024/25) — CC BY-NC 4.0
Adapted for UK Nursing Education by: Lincoln Gombedza, RN (LD)
Last Updated: December 2025

Generative AI introduces a new dynamic to collaborative learning: the "non-human" collaborator. This section explores how to facilitate effective group work that includes AI tools.

1. AI as a "Team Member"​

In group projects, AI can be assigned a specific role, such as "The Sceptic" or "The Note-Taker," to support the human students.

Strategy: The "Devil's Advocate"​

  • Context: A group of students is designing a quality improvement implementation plan.
  • Action: They feed their plan to an AI (e.g., Claude Sonnet 4) and ask it to identify three potential points of failure or safety risks.
  • Outcome: The group must then discuss these risks and refute them or adapt their plan.

2. Think-Pair-Share-AI​

A modification of the classic teaching strategy:

  1. Think: Students reflect individually on a question (e.g., "What are the barriers to effective discharge planning?").
  2. Pair: They discuss with a partner.
  3. Share: They share with the wider group.
  4. AI (New Step): The group asks an AI the same question and compares the AI's perspective with their own. Did the AI miss the human/social aspects? Did the AI find a policy point the students missed?

3. Risks of "Social Loafing"​

There is a risk that students may over-rely on AI to do the "heavy lifting" in group work.

Mitigation Strategies for Educators:​

  • Process over Product: Assess the discussion and prompting strategy, not just the final output.
  • Video Reflections: Ask groups to record a 5-minute video explaining how they used AI and where they disagreed with it.
  • "Human-In-The-Loop" Requirement: Mandate that every AI-generated contribution must be annotated with a student's verification or critique.

4. Interdisciplinary Simulation​

AI can simulate professionals from other fields to create interdisciplinary case conferences.

Scenario: Discharge planning for a patient with complex needs.

  • Student Role: The Nurse.
  • AI Role 1: The Social Worker (focus on funding/care act).
  • AI Role 2: The Occupational Therapist (focus on home adaptations).
  • Activity: The student must coordinate the discharge plan, synthesizing input from these AI "colleagues" while advocating for the patient's nursing needs.
Accessibility Note

Collaborative AI tools can be great levelers for students who face language barriers or neurodiverse challenges in group settings, providing a "safe" space to rehearse ideas before sharing with peers.