Instructor Profile: Robert Bentley

Robert Bentley’s research focuses on understanding how oxygen delivery is matched to active muscle oxygen demand during exertion in order to enhance exercise performance, tolerance, and quality of life across the health spectrum. As a course instructor, Professor Bentley has embedded generative AI within laboratory experimentation and report generation, leading students to develop critical AI literacy alongside comprehension of course material.

Q: How have you integrated generative AI into lab report and writing assignments, and in what ways has this supported students’ understanding of physiological concepts and AI literacy skills?

My incorporation of generative AI is centralized around the students beginning to understand the strengths and limitations of such technology, in order to promote the effective use of AI beyond the classroom in the future. I believe nothing promotes a deeper knowledge more than explaining and demonstrating it to others – in this case, through the strategic application of corrective oversight to a prompted AI response. This allows students to enhance their critical reading and interpretation skills alongside their foundational knowledge of cardiorespiratory physiology enroute to mastery of course learning outcomes.  

Q: In creating assignments and learning activities that leverage generative AI, how do you balance the use of AI tools with traditional learning methods?

This is a challenging task. I have chosen to specifically frame the utilization of AI as a learning resource, not as a learning replacement. Importantly, with this particular learning resource, we need to be sure we understand how it is best applied. I encourage students to apply AI, as outlined, as we learn more about situations and scenarios in which AI may excel, as well as those in which its use may be inappropriate. I believe this approach minimizes the initial reliance on AI within their learning, while leveraging the strength of more traditional learning methods without contention between the two.

Q: What feedback have you received from students regarding the integration of generative AI tools like Microsoft Copilot in their assignments?

Student feedback has varied, in part arising from student variability in pre-existing exposure to AI prior to my course of instruction. That being said, students tend to appreciate my incorporation of AI within the course as they feel it is an important technology to develop competency with and learn how to utilize to enhance workflow efficiency. Within this course’s specific AI application, students are generally surprised by the level of corrective oversight that is often required with some students expressing that their pre-conceived notion about AI has been completely transformed as a result.

Q: How do you see the role of AI evolving in physiology education, particularly in laboratory settings?

Speaking specifically to generative AI, and the operation of large language models, I can think or two interesting examples: 1). How generative AI is able to interpret provided laboratory results; and 2) How generative AI can provide guidance on an experimental design aligning with a stated hypothesis or research question. While I am exactly sure what its use may look like in either of these scenarios, the potential possibilities for enhancing student learning are exciting.  

Q: What new approaches to using generative AI are you considering for your upcoming physiology courses?

Actually, I am already incorporating AI into my other courses of instruction across the undergraduate and graduate levels. My intention surrounding the incorporation of AI, as a whole, is to help students understand the strengths and limitations of such technology in order to promote the effective use of AI to support increases in efficiency. In addition to generative AI, I am exposing students within my courses to literature curation and literature summary AI. I am trying to develop their comfort with new technology while beginning to equip them with transferable technological skills relevant in tomorrow’s environment that will allow them to succeed.