JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools has created both opportunities and challenges for medical education. While GenAI offers potential to enhance teaching, assessment, and curriculum design, many medical faculty lack guidance on how to integrate these tools ethically and pedagogically. Existing professional development models often fail to address the needs of expert faculty working within discipline-specific, high-stakes educational contexts.

Objective:

Design and assess a faculty development program that prepares medical faculty for ethical and pedagogically aligned use of GenAI in teaching.

Methods:

A mixed methods pilot study was conducted to examine the design, implementation, and outcomes of a faculty development program “Professional Development in Generative Artificial Intelligence for Pedagogy (PDGenAI-P)”, at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, a U.S. medical school in Qatar. The program consisted of five synchronous online workshops grounded in Experiential Learning Theory and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework. Ten medical faculty from multiple disciplines participated. Quantitative data were collected using a post-intervention survey and a follow-up survey administered two weeks later, capturing perceptions of program quality, confidence, and intended application. Qualitative data included workshop transcripts, activity artifacts, and facilitator memos. Descriptive statistics summarized quantitative findings, while qualitative data were analyzed using a combination of deductive and inductive coding. Findings were integrated to generate convergent interpretations.

Results:

Faculty demonstrated a clear progression from exploratory GenAI use to guided pedagogical application and independent integration. Post-intervention survey results indicated high satisfaction with program content, organization, relevance, and overall quality. Follow-up survey responses, although limited in number, suggested increased confidence in applying GenAI tools to teaching practice and shifts in pedagogical perspectives. Faculty identified concrete strategies for integrating GenAI into lesson planning, assessment design, visualization of learning materials, and case-based instruction, while emphasizing the importance of human oversight and ethical judgment. Qualitative findings highlighted the value of hands-on experimentation, reflective discussion, and adaptive facilitation in supporting meaningful learning.

Conclusions:

This pilot study provides early evidence that an experiential, theory-informed, and adaptively facilitated faculty development program can support medical faculty in developing the skills, confidence, and ethical awareness required for responsible GenAI integration. Although findings are limited by a small sample size and a single institution, PDGenAI-P offers a flexible and pedagogically grounded model that can inform future faculty development efforts in medical education as GenAI technologies continue to evolve. Clinical Trial: Not applicable