Utilizing Generative AI to Counter Learner Groupthink by Introducing Controversy in Collaborative Problem-Based Learning Settings
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v29i3.5096Keywords:
Generative AI Agents (genAI), Artificial Intelligence in Education, Groupthink, Controversy, Interprofessional Education (IPE), Virtual Interprofessional Education (VIPE)Abstract
This article highlights the foundational challenge of rapid interprofessional student team formation and the potential challenges that groupthink poses for newly-formed teams participating in collaborative problem-based learning activities. This article describes a mixed-methods study that addresses groupthink by introducing a generative artificial intelligence-based agent (genAI agent) into the small group processes of student teams engaging in a session of a well-established virtual interprofessional education methodology. The integration of this novel genAI tool into each student team was an intentional pedagogical technique, introduced in response to the challenges that newly-formed student teams may encounter as they rapidly come together and potentially contend with the many factors that may contribute to a state of groupthink. This study’s findings regarding: student perceptions of the GenAI agent; its integration into their team processes; its influence on team discussion and outcomes; the influence of faculty facilitators on acceptance of the genAI agent; and findings regarding the introduction of controversial viewpoints by a genAI agent as a mechanism to counter groupthink, are reported and discussed alongside recommendations for further research and utilization of this instructional approach.
Keywords: Generative AI Agents, Artificial Intelligence in Education, Team Based Learning, Problem Based Learning, Groupthink, Controversy, Learner Collaboration, Team Dynamics, Psychological Safety, Interprofessional Education, Health Professions Education
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Copyright (c) 2025 Andrew Wiss, Mary Showstark, Kyle Dobbeck, Jennifer Pattershall-Geide, Elke Zschaebitz, Dawn Joosten-Hagye, Kirsten Potter, Erin Embry
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