Introduction to Biomedical & Health Informatics Course Policy for Use of Generative AI and ChatGPT

This page reflects course policy for the course, Introduction to Biomedical & Health Informatics. There are versions of this course in several OHSU programs, including:

• Biomedical Informatics Graduate program - BMI 510/610 - Introduction to Biomedical & Health Informatics

• AMIA 10x10 ("ten by ten") course - OHSU-AMIA 10x10 course

• MD curriculum course, MINF 705B/709A

ChatGPT and generative AI systems based on large language models (LLMs) can be a useful tool for learning all kinds of topics, including in biomedical and health informatics. These tools should not, however, be used to substitute one’s own knowledge. Students can “converse” with ChatGPT or generative AI systems to get ideas for answers to questions, but the final responses to discussion forums, quiz and test questions, and the term paper, should reflect their own thinking, judgment, and language.

I published a peer-reviewed paper in 2024 showing that ChatGPT and other LLMs can "pass" the knowledge-assessment portions of this course. This policy is based in part on the results of this study.

It is critically important that students not "shortchange" their learning by being overly reliant on generative AI systems. While most scientific fields have long surpassed the amount of knowledge that can be maintained in a human brain, it is important to have a fundamental core of knowledge and understanding in memory to be able to apply critical thinking to problems and analyses. In addition, just as students must attribute use of papers, books, and other sources in their work, they must also attribute use of generative AI when it is used in discussion forums or assignments.

I have adopted the following guidelines for my course activities:

• Discussion forums - the purpose of the discussion forums is for students to discuss issues that elaborate on unit course materials. Individual forum postings are not graded, although a component of the course grade is based on participation in the forums, comparable to what used to be participation in live classrooms. While students can “converse” with generative AI to get ideas for responses to forum questions, what is actually posted in the forum by students should represent their own ideas, language, and thought processes.

• Homework self-assessment - students can ask generative AI about topics mentioned in the multiple-choice questions but are expected to answer the questions based on their own knowledge of materials covered in the lectures and not use generative AI with the questions themselves until after they have submitted their answers to the questions.

• Term paper/project - students can ask generative AI for help in brainstorming about their term paper/project. Generative AI systems do not write long papers, and their output tends to focus on generalities and may be prone to confabulation, especially in generating references. The 10-15 term paper/project should have a focus on a specific topic, and delve into it with coherent discussion and ample references, including recent ones, as outlined in the course syllabus.

• Final exam - students must not access generative AI during the final exam, just as they may not consult other humans during the open-book exams that is given.

If you are a student and have a question on whether use of generative AI is appropriate, please reach out directly to me (email is best for initial contact).

As a guiding principle, we expect and require that all work submitted be the student's own, original work. When considering using such a generative AI tool, students should ask themselves: Will the tool’s output be something I will be turning in directly? In general, students may use such tools as a source of information, but not to produce output that they intend to turn in or as a replacement for a traditional cited reference.

Most ethical and conduct policies in our informatics educational programs, and in the work we subsequently do as professionals, are enforced through an honor code. We recognize we cannot police all inappropriate use of AI or other activities. We hope that students will find ways to use LLMs to enhance their learning but not substitute for or become dependent on it.