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Educational Experience Essay | Describing About My Educational Experience Essay in English

August 31, 2021 by Prasanna

Educational Experience Essay: My educational experience is not like a normal child. It remains to be like a roller coaster with full ups and downs. Today while taking my Bachelor’s degree in computers I would like to turn back and recall my educational experiences.

As my father was a banker, every 3 to 4 years we keep on moving to a new place because of the transfer process. During my school days as soon I start to mingle with new friends and settle in the new environment we have to move to a new place with new challenges.

Educational experiences play an important role in our lives. It teaches us many things. I got my educational experience from my college life. College life provided me with many new opportunities to learn new things such as being independent, new culture, a new environment, new friends and a chance to study and make my dreams come true.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more

The college environment is completely different from school life. College life is full of fun, enjoyment and adventures. With new female and male friends everywhere, wild parties, outings and bunking classes, college life is full of attractions. Keeping up in such an environment is not an easy task because one is always stuck between having fun or focusing on your studies. For me adapting to college life was not so difficult as it all depends on your priorities and the way how you balance your preferences.

It was difficult for me to make new friends in a new environment where we have all sorts of people with different characters, some good and others bad. It is quite difficult to differentiate the good or bad at the first sight or first interaction. Choosing your friends in a new environment is one of the most challenging tasks. The friends you choose ultimately determine your personality. Friends have a great impact on our life, bad friends influence you in the wrong way and similarly, good friends influence you in the right way.

Along with making new friends, there are many different aspects to manage in college life. In college, you also have to make your position by always being on top of your game and keep up with all your classwork, homework and/or projects. I have realized college is not just for fun and entertainment. It requires you to work hard to achieve your dreams.

College life is a turning point in one’s life. College life is like an open door of cage-like schooling. It frees us from the school bindings. Though it gives us the freedom to do anything we want we must keep our focus on studies to achieve our dreams or else we will be lost in the attraction of college life.

Short Essay on Educational Experience 300 Words

My Educational experience started right from the age of 3 when I was sent to kindergarten. Being the first child in my family I was overprotected by my parents. So going to school was like a nightmare for me. Before going to school I had no friends and I don’t know how to interact with strangers. But gradually I learned to talk to other mates and slowly tried to settle down in school. Till I was in grade 1st I was pretty familiar with the school environment. I started enjoying my school time. Even my teachers were so cooperative, they helped me in every aspect.

But the scene doesn’t remain the same as when I was in grade 2. I had to change my school because my parents wanted me to study in a better school. Now I was admitted to a highly reputed school. I was very much upset because I have to leave my old friends and make new friends again.

The new school was much advanced than the previous one. At the start, I was very nervous. But I have great teachers and friends who helped me to adapt to this school. And my education journey started.

Throughout my education, certain teachers have played major roles in bringing out my academic and personal strengths and interests. Several teachers had impacted my life in a positive way. These teachers helped me grow as a person in several aspects of my life. They also helped me develop a sense of self-confidence.

My educational experience has also taught me many important lessons and virtues. There were times where I struggled, through these difficult times, I learned many lessons that can be applicable to all areas of my life.

Through the journey of my educational life, I have learned to value every aspect of the experience and appreciate all the knowledge and attributes that I have gained because of it. Without this profound educational experience, I would not have become the person that I am today.

My educational experience has influenced me greatly. And also helped me to shape my goals and aspirations for the future. In my educational life, the knowledge that I have attained throughout the course of my education has proved to be helpful in forming my passion and developing my abilities. Now I can use them to make a difference in my community and in the lives of others.

FAQ’s on Educational Experience Essay

Question 1. What is the role of educational experience in life?

Answer: The educational experience is not just limited to school and college degrees. It includes co-curricular activities like sports, music, etc and also human values, which we tend to learn during our educational life.

The educational experience is very much helpful in our professional and personal life. It is rightly said that experience is the best teacher. We learn much more from our experiences.

Question 2. How to include educational experiences in your CV?

Answer: Following are some tips to include educational experiences in your CV are:

• The name of your school and college from where you passed out.
• Include the year of pass out.
• Add the degrees you received
• Add your extra achievements.
• Years of experience in a particular field if any.
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Goal Strategist

Educational Goals Essay Samples and Overcoming Challenges

Crafting an essay on your educational goals can be a turning point in your academic journey. It’s your chance to showcase your aspirations and the roadmap to achieving them. Whether you’re applying for a scholarship, a college, or simply setting personal milestones, articulating your educational objectives is key.

You’ll find that a well-thought-out educational goals essay not only impresses admissions committees but also clarifies your own vision. Let’s dive into examples that can illuminate your path and inspire a compelling narrative for your academic future.

The Importance of Setting Educational Goals

When you begin to articulate your educational goals, you’re carving out a clear path for your future. Setting these goals is not just about fulfilling a requirement; it’s about establishing a foundation for your educational journey. By defining what you want to achieve, you create a sense of purpose that guides your academic decisions and keeps you motivated during challenging times.

Think of your educational goals as a roadmap. Without this direction, you might find yourself wandering aimlessly through your academic career. With goals, you have destinations in mind and can plan your route accordingly. As you progress, every milestone you achieve brings a sense of accomplishment and steels your resolve to tackle the next challenge.

It’s no secret that education opens doors to opportunity. But it’s the specificity of your goals that allows you to unlock the right doors for your aspirations. Whether it’s gaining expertise in a particular field, enhancing your skills for a desired profession, or expanding your knowledge base, your goals help tailor your educational experience to align with your vision.

Furthermore, setting educational goals lets you measure your progress. This is crucial for staying on track and making adjustments as needed. It’s also a way to communicate your aspirations to others. When applying for scholarships or college admissions, clear educational goals show that you’re not just a dreamer – you’re a doer with a plan.

Ultimately, having a well-defined set of educational goals empowers you to take control of your learning. It’s about making informed choices that resonate with your personal and professional ambitions. Remember, the act of setting goals is a dynamic process. As you grow and learn, it’s perfectly fine to refine or even overhaul your goals to stay aligned with your evolving interests and the ever-changing job landscape.

Understanding Your Passions and Interests

Identifying your passions and interests is key to crafting educational goals that resonate with your core values. Knowing what excites you and what you’re curious about provides a compass that guides your educational journey. To start, reflect on classes, topics, or activities that spark your enthusiasm. Are there subjects that you find yourself drawn to or projects that energize you?

When drafting your educational goals essay, consider incorporating examples that demonstrate how your interests align with your long-term aspirations. Perhaps you have a fascination with renewable energy that has prompted you to pursue a degree in environmental science, or maybe your interest in languages is steering you toward international relations.

Assessing your strengths is also crucial in understanding what educational pathway to follow. If you’re naturally good with numbers, a career in finance might be right up your alley. On the other hand, if you’ve always excelled at writing and communicating, roles in journalism or public relations might be more fitting.

Here are some strategies to align your passions with your educational goals:

• Engage in self-reflection : Regularly take time to think about what activities make you feel most alive.
• Explore various fields : Don’t hesitate to enroll in different courses or attend workshops to broaden your perspective.
• Seek advice : Connect with mentors or professionals in areas you’re interested in to gain insight and guidance.

Remember, your educational objectives should be a reflection of what truly matters to you – they will be the ones propelling you forward through the rigorous demands of academic life. By intertwining your goals with your passions and interests, not only do you set the stage for a fulfilling education, but you also pave the way for a career that’s aligned with your personal definition of success.

Setting Short-Term Goals

When you’re mapping out your educational journey, it is essential to include short-term goals. These targets provide immediate motivation and serve as stepping stones toward your broader aspirations. Short-term goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant , and Time-bound (SMART). Here are some strategies to consider:

• Identify skills you need to develop within the next few months
• Enroll in workshops or courses that enhance your expertise
• Seek mentorship or guidance to strengthen your professional network
• Tackle smaller projects that contribute to larger assignments or objectives

Your educational goals essay should highlight how these short-term goals are not just checkboxes on your to-do list but crucial components of your educational strategy. For example, if one of your long-term goals is to become an engineer, a short-term goal might be to master a specific type of software used in the field.

Prioritizing Your Efforts

To avoid feeling overwhelmed, prioritize your goals. Consider which short-term goals will have the most significant impact on your long-term vision. Devise a Prioritization Matrix to determine which tasks to tackle first. Here’s a simple categorization:

• Urgent and Important : Tasks you must do immediately
• Important but Not Urgent : Tasks that contribute to long-term successes
• Urgent but Not Important : Tasks that require your attention but may not have considerable long-term benefits
• Neither Urgent nor Important : Tasks that you could potentially eliminate or delegate

Tracking Progress

Measure your progress consistently. Keep a journal, use an app, or maintain a spreadsheet where you can track your successes and areas for improvement. Feedback from peers and mentors can also be invaluable in refining your approach. Reflecting on your progress helps ensure that you’re on route to meeting your long-term educational goals. It’s not just about ticking off goals; it’s about personal growth and adapting your strategies as needed.

Your educational goals are unique to you. By setting concrete short-term goals and consistently assessing your progress, you’re building a solid foundation for not only meeting but exceeding your educational aspirations. Remember, every big achievement starts with the decision to try, and even the most ambitious dreams are realized one step at a time.

Setting Long-Term Goals

When plotting out your educational journey, long-term goals are your ultimate endgame. These are broad objectives that typically look beyond the upcoming year and sprawl across several years or even a decade. Imagine them as the pillars supporting your career trajectory, laying the groundwork for the professional you aspire to become.

Long-term goals in education aren’t just about the credentials or titles. They’re deeply personal ambitions that resonate with your values and passions. Whether this involves pursuing a PhD, becoming an industry expert, or launching a startup, these goals keep you anchored and motivated through the ups and downs of your educational endeavors. Here’s how to define your long-term goals:

• Reflect on what you’re passionate about and how you want to impact the world.
• Research the education and experience necessary to enter your desired field.
• Think about where you see yourself in 10 or 15 years.
• Break down these visions into attainable long-term goals.

Harnessing the Power of Visualization

Visualizing your long-term goals can be remarkably effective. By creating a vivid mental picture of where you want to be, your goals become more tangible. Visualization also acts as a practice run for your brain, gradually cementing the belief that these outcomes are not just possible but likely.

To leverage visualization:

• Find a quiet place to concentrate without interruptions.
• Imagine achieving your biggest educational and professional aspirations.
• Emotionally connect with this envisioned future, experiencing the satisfaction and pride that comes with accomplishment.

Remember, setting long-term goals isn’t a one-off task. You should revisit and refine these goals periodically to ensure they remain aligned with your evolving interests and the changing landscape of your chosen field. As life unfolds, your insights will deepen, and the goals you set today may evolve to reflect the person you’re growing into tomorrow.

Aligning Your Goals with Your Desired Career Path

Once you’ve set your long-term vision, it’s crucial that your educational goals align tightly with your desired career path. Doing this ensures that every academic effort you make is a stepping stone towards your ultimate professional aspirations. But how do you make that alignment as strong as possible?

Start with Research . Scour through job descriptions, connect with industry professionals, and gain deep insights into the skills and qualifications that your dream job requires. Armed with this knowledge, tailor your educational pursuits to cover these areas.

Break down your long-term career ambitions into more immediate objectives. If you’re aiming for a career in software development, for instance, your short-term goals might include mastering a specific programming language or completing relevant coursework.

Prioritize Relevant Experiences . Alongside classroom learning, seek internships, volunteer work, or part-time positions in your field. These practical experiences not only enhance your resume but also help to solidify your understanding of the industry.

Monitor Industry Trends. Stay up-to-date with movements within your chosen field. If you’re in digital marketing, for example, your education should keep pace with evolving SEO practices, social media algorithms, and content creation tools.

Don’t forget the role of Soft Skills . In almost every career path, communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills are paramount. Find ways through extracurricular activities or courses to develop these skills alongside your specialized knowledge.

As you move through your educational journey, remain flexible. Your career path might shift as you uncover new interests or as the industry evolves. Regularly assess and adjust your goals to maintain alignment with your career trajectory, ensuring that with each step, you’re inching closer to your professional dream.

Overcoming Challenges and Obstacles

When pursuing your educational goals, you’ll inevitably face challenges and obstacles that may seem daunting at first. But remember, overcoming these hurdles is a crucial part of your journey towards career success.

Identify potential barriers early in your path. These might include financial constraints, time management issues, or limited access to resources. Develop a proactive plan to tackle these issues head-on. For instance, you might explore scholarships, part-time work, or alternative funding options if finances are a concern.

Time management often becomes a critical skill when you’re juggling school with other responsibilities. Here’s what you can do:

• Prioritize tasks by urgency and importance
• Create a structured schedule
• Practice saying no to non-essential activities

Sometimes, obstacles are not external but rooted in personal doubts or a lack of confidence. Believe in your capabilities and remember that setbacks can be transformed into growth opportunities. Seek support systems: mentors, peers, or educational counselors who can offer guidance and perspective.

Keep abreast with technological advancements and learn how to leverage them in overcoming educational obstacles. Online courses, educational software, and virtual study groups can bridge the gap between you and your goals.

Staying informed of industry trends ensures you remain relevant and can pivot when faced with industry shifts. Frequently audit your skills and knowledge to close any gaps and take advantage of internships to gain hands-on experience.

Your educational goals essay should reflect resilience and adaptability. Showcasing challenges you’ve faced and how you’ve overcome them not only lays out a realistic roadmap but also demonstrates your determination and strategic thinking. Keep your narrative authentic and your solutions actionable to illustrate a forward-moving trajectory in the pursuit of your education and career.

Crafting an educational goals essay that reflects your aspirations and plans is a powerful step toward achieving success. Remember, it’s your resilience and adaptability that will shine through as you navigate potential barriers and leverage the latest industry trends. Your ability to manage time effectively, believe in yourself, and build a solid support system will not only enrich your essay but also your educational journey. Stay proactive, stay informed, and let your essay be the roadmap that guides you to your goals.

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Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

Students Share Their Best School Experiences and What We Can Learn From Them

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Today, five students from my classes contribute short pieces about their favorite moments, and what others might be able to learn from them.

You might also be interested in these two other posts:

• Students Describe Their Favorite Teachers
• ‘He Was a Very Good Listener’ - Students Write About Their Most Memorable Teachers

Response From Leslie Servin

During my time in high school I had it really good moments, but my best moments that I’ve experienced are in a particular class during my senior year, in Sacramento, Calif. So I was basically a new student in these kind of classes and also I’m English learner. I remember my first presentation in this class. I didn’t want to do it, but finally I did it and that one was my best moment. When I went to present I felt afraid, and then when I presented I felt so good for the effort I applied on. Now I feel so much better than my first day of presentations because I now know that I can do whatever I want to do. The learnings that I acquire made it so good this moment because I know that I have to trust on me. Something teachers or students can learn from my experience is that we have to overcome our fears and not let them control ourselves because we can’t know our capabilities if we are afraid.

Response From Jesneel Singh

The best moment in class was when I was in 9th grade in sixth period. That was when I got into poetry and spoken word. Having that “character and scene” class made my life even greater. Not knowing anything about poetry, hating on poems about reading and writing it in the past. That class was fun in many ways. For example; there was this one time where we had to write our own plays and poems and perform them in front of the class. I felt alive, and the creative side of me came out. When I wrote my first poem in freshman year. I realized that it was fun and unique. I felt like I wanted to write more and more. When I performed my first poem to that class I found my passion. Since that day and today I have written over 400 poems and made two books. I have performed on many stages in small audience and in school. That was a good day for me because I can write my thoughts down and write the truth about the world. Teachers and students can learn from this experience that, you can find what best fits you.

Response From Nancy Ramirez

I would say my best class moment would be from my sophomore year in high school. For my Spanish class, our teacher decided we would do a class circle (Editor’s note: see “How To Practice Restorative Justice in Schools” for more information on class circles) for the day. She asked us a sequence of questions which required us to give a more in depth and heartfelt answer each time, starting with something along the lines of “How are you feeling?” and ending with “Why do you think that is?” A class circle which only should have lasted one day extended to three, with each and every single one of us having to share our deepest and darkest fears and insecurities. By then it felt more than just a class and opened my eyes to very different ways of teaching styles. I believe there is much to learn from this experience, both then and now. I have come to deeply appreciate not only the class but the teacher as well. This experience showed me the extent a relationship with your classmates and your teacher can go....

Response From Oscar Salazar

The best moment I’ve ever experienced in school was last year when I was a sophomore. I took biology last year and towards the end of the year we got to dissect a fetal pig. I know that it sounds gross but it’s really not. That’s what I thought at first too. I did lots of fun experiments in that class that were new to me, such as making a small ecosystem in a bottle and dissecting owl pellets to find mouse skeletons. I think that these experiences were really fun and interesting. I’ve never done anything like that in a class before.

I think that when teachers introduce students to hands-on activities and projects the students enjoy it more. Since we have more energy it’s a good use of it. We learn better when we’re allowed to move around and be creative. Our lives aren’t going to be pen on paper or books forever. It’s best to get us students to explore the world using our skills that we learn and strengthen our understanding of daily life that is sometimes hidden from us and exposed to us abruptly once we turn into adults.

Response From Kayla Guzman

What has been my best moment in a class? I’ve had many great moments but perhaps the most best moment took place in my English class about a month ago. I had a 10-15 minute presentation and I felt pretty confident. 30 minutes before my presentation I decided to incorporate an actor for visual appeal, to correspond with my presentation. I felt even more confident, assure that I would captivate the audience’s attention and keep them engaged. When my presentation started, I gave a signal to my actor which led me to drop my 8 notecards all over the floor. I was aware that the time was ticking, so I quickly grabbed all the notecards off the floor. I became overwhelmed with embarrassment, listening to the echoing laughter of the audience as I tried to rearrange the cards. The cards in my hand then became extremely restraining. My anxiety levels rose, and the disorganized cards just added stress to my emotions. I placed the cards down, and felt a great sense of relieve. My words, my explanations, my connections all flowed out my mouth with harmony, and I felt more natural and free as I presented my topic.

My presentation was a diagnosis of a character with schizophrenia, explaining the symptoms and the reasoning behind my diagnosis. The movement of my hands and my exaggeration presented by a drive of passion, along with my visual representative, kept the audience captive. I felt like a completely different person. By the end of the presentation I was sweaty, not by nervousness but because I left it all on the floor. I realized that the key to presenting with people is not getting their attention just by visual appeal. You need to let your heart pour out so that you can captivate their hearts, reach their souls. You can’t just be the center of attention, you need to give the audience attention, you need to talk to them. First and foremost, you can’t present without emotions. Anything you present should be built off of passion. As long as you can find a connection between yourself and the topic and exude your passion, you will keep the audience engaged.

Thanks to Nancy, Jesneel, Kayla, Leslie, and Oscar for their contributions!

(This is the last post in a three-part series. You can see Part One here and Part Two here .)

The new “question-of-the-week” is:

What was the best moment you ever had in the classroom?

In Part One , Jen Schwanke, Amy Sandvold, Anne Jenks, and Sarah Thomas shared their top moments. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with them on my BAM! Radio Show . You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here. In Part Two , Meghan Everette, Jeryl-Ann Asaro, Jeffery Galle, and Kara Vandas shared their memories. I also included comments from readers.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Anyone whose question is selected for this weekly column can choose one free book from a number of education publishers.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching .

If you missed any of the highlights from the first six years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. They don’t include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the “answers” category found in the sidebar.

This Year’s Most Popular Q&A Posts

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Look for the next “question-of-the-week” in a few days.

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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UC Essay Prompt 4: Educational Experiences

by j9robinson | Apr 30, 2016

University of California Personal Insight Question 4: A Chance to Showcase Your Field of Interest

(For those of you just starting the UC application for 2016-17, incoming freshman pick four essays—each under 350 words—out of eight all-new prompts, known as Personal Insight Questions . I’m writing separate posts on ideas about how to write about all eight of them.)

If you know what you want to study in college, I would seriously consider writing about UC essay prompt 4.

It’s your chance to show the University of California that you already know something about this field and were serious enough to learn about it.

They love seeing students who already have some idea of what they want to pursue in college.

If you are uncertain about your future major, you can certainly write about this prompt, too.

Personal Insight Question 4:

Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

The new University of California essay prompt 4, also known as Personal Insight Question 4, contains two different but related topics.

One asks about an educational opportunity and the other about an educational barrier.

Pick one to write about.

From UC Admissions: “Feel free to speak about either an opportunity or a barrier. It’s OK if you’ve experienced one and not the other.”

Both topics want to know about an experience related to your education so far, which can be your school work, or anything related to academics.

My personal opinion is that writing about the educational barrier would produce a more interesting essay since it will have a storyline.

A “barrier” (obstacle) is a form of a problem, and when you write about a problem , things automatically get more interesting.

“A Significant Educational Opportunity” for UC Essay Prompt 4

Start by trying to recall an interesting experience related to academics where you learned something meaningful.

If this experience, and what you learned from it, ties to what you plan to study in college, or the field that interests you at this point, all the better.

It also could simply be an experience that had a meaningful impact on how you see the world.

The most important factor is what you learned from it.

The main pitfall to watch out for with this prompt is writing something super boring.

The best way to nail this prompt is to think of it in two parts.

First, describe the opportunity. Even better, try to think of something specific that happened that involved this experience to start your essay and give it interest.

You don’t want to start something like, “During junior year, I took AP chemistry and really loved it. I liked all the experiments in the lab and … ”

That’s too broad and generic. Sheer dullsville.

Instead, start with one specific experiment or challenge that you participated in, and then go into the overall course and why you liked it.

The second part of this essay needs to go on to explain what you learned from that experience, and briefly how you will use what you learned in the future.

SAMPLE OUTLINE FOR UC ESSAY PROMPT 4

• Describe the educational experience. If possible, start with something specific that happened , then go onto to explain the background of this opportunity. (A paragraph or two.)
• Explain what you learned from this experience. End by sharing how you plan to use what you learned in your future college and career goals. (A paragraph or two.)

Here are the extra suggestions that the UC admissions provided along with this part of UC essay prompt 4:

An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that’s geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you — just to name a few.

This is from the freshman guide from the UC admissions to help you brainstorm UC Prompt 4:

Educational opportunities: List any programs or additional classes that have better prepared you for college:

How did you find out about these programs or classes?

How did you take what you learned and apply it to your schoolwork or other aspects of your life?

An “Educational Barrier” in UC Essay Prompt 4

Here’s how I would start to brainstorm ideas to write about an educational barrier:

Think of a time in school, or during any school-related activity, where you faced some type of problem.

Again, it’s optimal if you can write about one of your main areas of interest, although it’s not necessary.

Remember, problems come in many forms, such as a challenge, an obstacle, a mistake, a personal hang-up, flaw or phobia, a change, a set-back.

Don’t get hung up on the word “barrier.” Just replace that with “problem,” and you will be on the right track.

The reason they want you to share a time you faced an education-related problem is that you can then elaborate on how you dealt with it and what you learned.

• Start by describing the problem. If possible, share a specific example of the problem, and then background it. (A paragraph or two.)
• Explain how you handled it, what personal quality you used or developed in the process, and what you learned in the process. End with how you plan to use what you learned in the future. (A paragraph or two.)

Here’s the additional questions the UC admissions folks included with this UC essay prompt 4:

If you choose to write about educational barriers you’ve faced, how did you overcome or strived to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who are you today?

Here’s the additional brainstorming questions the UC admissions shared in the freshman guide  for UC prompt 4:

Educational barriers: Have you faced any barriers or challenges related to school and/or your schoolwork?

How did you overcome or strive to overcome them?

List three personal characteristics or skills you had to call on to overcome this challenge:

How did overcoming this barrier help shape who are you today?

Some Red Flags

I must warn you that I believe there are a lot of potential cliche or overdone topics that students would write about for this topic, such as times they flunked a test or got a terrible grade.

Like all topics, what counts the most is what you have to say about your experience. So focus on what you learned about yourself, others and the world—even if what happened wasn’t the most unique experience.

Writing about UC essay prompt 4 is your best chance to showcase your main academic interest, such as computer science, history, business, fashion, art, engineering, etc.

So spend time thinking about any and all past experiences you have had that related to your interest, including ones that inspired you or helped your understand it better or improve your skills at it.

Write it up and chances are it will be a strong piece for your set of four essays (Personal Insight Questions) for the UC application.

Check out these 21 Tips for UC Personal Insight Questions to help you think about how to write four essays that complement each other and together form a “personal statement” that helps set you apart from other students.

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34 Comments

Hi! Is a Carnegie course considered a educational opportunity?

Hi! Is Carnegie course considered an educational opportunity?

Yes, I would think so. JR

Hello, does an internship count as an educational opportunity?

Hi Sabrina,

Yes! If you can learn from the opportunity, it can be considered educational. Good luck! Janine

Would talking about having an opportunity at education at all be considered an educational opportunity? I am from a whole different country where women are oppressed and do not have the opportunity to an education, (gender and women’s studies is my major btw) but I am afraid this isn’t specific enough?

For the educational barrier question can I write about how I’m not good at science and describe the courses I took and how I struggled to get by but also show that I didn’t give up and that I ended up taking an AP science course?

Would medical camps count as an educational opportunity? I primarily shadowed doctors, but a lot of the doctors sat down and explained a lot about anatomy and other things.

In general, I think that any experience where you learned something, especially in a deliberate fashion, could be considered educational. JR

Hi, is mathematics module considered as an educational opportunity?

Math module in my college is a series of practice exercises that allows students to re-take placement exam.

I finished the module and took a placement exam that earned me the highest possible placement in the class. ( I skipped 3 classes as a result)

Hi, I was just wondering if what I was thinking of writing about was a good idea. My freshman year I went to a National Student Leader Conference (NSLC) for Engineering at Berkeley and that’s what made me fall in love with the idea of doing that as my major. Is the fact that it was at a certain UC school too specific i.e. will it turn away other UC schools? Obviously my focus isn’t on the fact that it was at Berkeley, but I just want to make sure I’m not inadvertently making a mistake.

Is Internship an educational opportunity? Thank you.

Would being rescinded from a school before going to community college be considered an educational barrier?

Would visiting another school not in the UC system be considered an educational opportunity?

I don’t think that’s what they have in mind; unless you attended some type of internship or educational program there. Good luck. JR

Hi! Would having an intimidating math teacher and struggling in that subject be an educational barrier?

I am in the Medical Academy and we get to do experiments and learn about different careers. I also got to shadow a nutritionist at a hospital for a day through the academy. Should I talk about how the academy allowed me to shadow her, even if I don’t want to major in nutrition? (I wasn’t able to choose who I wanted to shadow)

Is moving to US from a different country to attend high school considered an educational experience?

Would attending a college-prep school be an educational opportunity?

Would volunteering in community service be considered an educational opportunity?

Hi May, Yes, I believe it would be if you learned something. That’s how I define an “educational opportunity”–as an activity or experience where you had the chance to learn something, about yourself, others and/or the world. Janine

Hello! I attended a one week camp about learning leadership skills, do you think this would still be considered an “educational opportunity” if it doesn’t directly connect to my field of interest (a biological science)?

Hi Ann, Yes, I think you could write about what you learned at this camp as an “educational opportunity.” I would make sure to make what you write highly personal and share what you learned. You could also use this for UC Prompt 1, I would think. I don’t believe these prompts all need to directly link to your field of interest, although that’s optimal if you can swing it. Good luck! Janine

Hi Is summer session in duke university considered an educational experience?

hello, is writing about getting a job considered educational experience?

Hi, does taking college courses at a local college while in high school count?

Is a dual enrollment course an educational experience?

I would think so.

I believe so. If you learned something from an experience, it’s educational.

Hello, is a diagnosed illness considered an educational barrier if it affected my academics as well

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Home Essay Samples Education Role of Education

Exploring How Education Has Impacted Your Life

Table of contents, knowledge acquisition: illuminating perspectives, skill development: nurturing competence, personal growth: fostering confidence, cultivation of curiosity: lifelong learning, contributing to society: making an impact, references:.

• Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. National Academy Press.
• Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.
• Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
• Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Bloomsbury Publishing.
• UNESCO. (2015). Education for sustainable development goals: Learning objectives. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247444

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My Profound Educational Experience by Brennan

Brennanof Ft. Worth 's entry into Varsity Tutor's December 2014 scholarship contest

My Profound Educational Experience by Brennan - December 2014 Scholarship Essay

My educational experience has had a drastic influence on not only who I am as person, but has also done much to shape my goals and aspirations for the future. Although there have been some rough spots in my academic career, the knowledge that I have attained throughout the course of my education has proved to be crucial in forming my passion for learning and my interests in developing my abilities and using them to make a difference in my community and in the lives of others.

Throughout the course of my education, certain teachers have played key roles in bringing out my academic and personal strengths and interests. For example, my freshman English teacher helped me completely transform my approach to writing and ultimately instilled in me a passion for the subject, which has had a great influence on my decision to aspire to go to law school, and someday be able to practice law as an attorney. Also, my junior history teacher placed a strong emphasis on teaching about politics and law, both of which fascinated me and sparked a desire in me to start getting involved in my community by volunteering weekly as a Teen Court attorney. However, the teacher who has perhaps been the most inspirational was undoubtedly my eighth grade bible teacher. This teacher helped me grow as a person in several aspects of my life and showed me what it really meant to have honorable character. She helped me develop a sense of self-confidence and purpose that has benefited me in a multitude of different fashions.

Not only have several teachers impacted my life in a positive way, but my educational experience as a whole has also taught me many important lessons and virtues. At some points in my academic career, there were times where I struggled with my attitude towards learning and towards my teachers for a variety of reasons. Yet, through these difficult times, I learned many lessons that can be applicable to all areas of my life. These struggles ultimately allowed me to attain a better understanding of virtues such as patience and perseverance, both of which I had very little of in the primitive stages of my educational development.

Overall, as I reach the end of one stage of my educational experience, I have learned to value every aspect of the experience and appreciate all the knowledge and attributes that I have gained because of it. Because without this profound educational experience, I would be missing some of the core values that have led me to become the person that I am today.

• FRONT MATTER
• TABLE OF CONTENTS

Describing Interesting Personal or Educational Experiences

Rarely, but occasionally, while working with a student on a personal essay, I can’t help but wince. It’s a concerned, gut response to the student taking an unnecessary and unwise risk. The most ready example I recall is the day that one of my students spent an entire paragraph discussing a suicide attempt. And this student was no dummy—in fact, held a 3.9 GPA. What I’m sure happened was that the student misconstrued the context for the personal essay and interpreted it almost as a confessional opportunity. I’ve witnessed other students use the personal statement to stumble sloppily through discussions of the death of a pet, a protest rally that turned into a small riot, a bad case of lactose intolerance, a religious conversion, and ten years away from school “bumming around with a rock band.”

Writers who do this are often focusing on one small part of their application (such as a poor semester of grades) or something they view as so self-defining (such as a political cause) that they feel almost obliged to discuss the topic. But despite the writer’s personal agenda, audience and context are key here, with the astute writer only taking chances when the risk is clearly worth it. At the same time, as the following discussion makes clear, there are times when the uniqueness of your experience is indeed worth showcasing.

As reported in the book How to Write a Winning Personal Statement for Graduate and Professional School , the Stern School of Business at New York University does something a bit unusual in its application questions to applicants. As many programs do, the school uses a series of questions rather than just one, but the third question asks students to describe themselves to their classmates, allowing for some creative elbow room. The answers to this third question, says the Director of Admissions and Aid, are her favorite. Though most applicants simply write creative essays, others send in poems, games, puzzles—even cassette recordings or videotapes. Obviously, in most graduate applications, students don’t have such options when it comes to delivering the material. However, those with particularly interesting personal tales or educational paths should always look for ways to highlight them in writing.

Many schools pride themselves not only on their programs but on something flexible or specialized about the education they offer. My alma mater, Juniata College, has students build a “program of emphasis” rather than declare a major, allowing students to customize their program of study. St. John’s College engages all its students in a classics-grounded course of study “based in the great books of the Western tradition,” which includes four years of math and one year of music for all students. Mount Holyoke, an all-women’s college, has a program in speaking, writing, and arguing, and sponsors an annual intercollegiate poetry competition. Not all readers will know the details about these programs, and the personal statement provides a perfect opportunity for graduates of such programs to take advantage of interesting experiences built right into their education. Writers who flesh out such detail in their personal statements both educate their readers about their background and affiliate themselves with programs of earned reputation.

Other educational background worthy of consideration for your personal statement includes:

• Participation in a first-year or senior seminar, assuming the seminar was academic and required you to produce meaningful work and some deliverable product.
• Past academic scholarships and the criteria by which you won them, especially if they are competitive national awards.
• Any co-op or work experiences directly relevant to graduate study, especially if the work you did was integrated into senior thesis research.
• Study at more than one school or study abroad, in particular if you are fluent in multiple languages.
• Honors education classes or an honors thesis.
• The completion of an integrated bachelor’s/master’s program, with discussion of program particulars.
• Completion of a senior thesis, especially if some facet of the thesis research can be continued at graduate school.
• Educational training through the military or professional certification programs, with an emphasis on relevance to graduate study.
• A transfer of schools or a return to school after time away, emphasizing positive lessons learned from the experience and giving evidence of accomplishments and motivation.

Finally, sometimes writers have such interesting personal stories that they capture their audience just by sharing something meaningful about their lives. Interesting stories I’ve read about in personal statements include a man who grew up in four different countries while his parents worked for the Peace Corps, a blind student from South Korea who was adopted into an American family and completed an internship involving service to disabled high school students, a woman who left an international modeling career to return to school full-time, a student who completed a bachelor’s degree over an eight-year period while battling multiple sclerosis, a student whose father went to jail for the duration of the student's high school years, and a student who had placed a novel with a major publishing house at the age of 19. Such personal stories and accomplishments are too interesting, and in some cases too moving, not to share. As you compose your personal statement, mine your educational and personal experiences to be sure you’re not overlooking something of interest that will both define and uplift you in the eyes of your readers.

These two websites devote substantial space to helping you tease out information from your background to make your personal statement more interesting:

"Writing a Personal Statement," from Studential.com

“Guidelines for Writing a Personal Statement,"from Indiana University, Bloomington

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Educational Experience Essay Sample

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Psychology , Education , Environment , Life , Learning , Experience , Entertainment , Worrying

Published: 02/27/2020

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Like numerous other students who had finished their packing and were ready to have a final meal with their families I was very restless. Moving to another city for at least four years is not as easy as it may sound to most people. To most people it is just about being independent and living on the edge and doing whatever the heart wants but to other people it is not that simple. It is about finding your personality, the way you are going to deal with life and most important of all have fun without wrecking your life. Therefore, I guess I was totally right about being all worried about moving. Well life did not stop just because I was worried and nervous and before I knew I was through a significant part of it. Being buried in doing what you love can really help you in going through all the anxiety and nervousness. I would not say that I had completely figured out my rules for life or what kind of personality I will be having but I must admit that it has been an amazing time for me. I had really dunked myself into my passion. Finally getting into an environment where I was treated like an adult and as trusted upon to make my own decisions and stand by them, not standing at the door and chanting “Sir may I enter” as seeking permission before going out was certainly a great improvement. Apart from all this it was really fun to sit back to pour my brains out solving the problems that our teachers thought were too hard for us and finally enjoying the appreciation and surprise in their eyes when we had solved the problem . Homework got a lot more challenging and as some places, more fun than they were before and it was a great that the punishment for not being able to do the homework was no longer “standing in the corner.” It was an amazing experience to learn about what amazed you as a child. It was also fun in learning the simple little tricks behinds that once appeared as magic when we were little. Overall, it was an amazing educational experience to get out from usual educational environment that I had seen since I entered school as a little kid and enter a more free air of university where there was a lot more learning opportunities than one could imagine.

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Student study abroad essay: The education of experience

Tuesday, Jan 24, 2017

Katherine Depack studied abroad in France for the second time

by Katherine Depack

Studying abroad had always been a desire of mine. Since high school, I wanted to study in France because the teachers and professors who mentored me had grown up with some aspect of French culture in their lives. Their shared experiences fueled my desire to immerse myself into the culture to experience it head on. Centre d'Études Franco-Américain De Management (CEFAM) interested me because I would be able to study business and French simultaneously. I am an entrepreneurship and international business  double major, with a minor in French , so a business school in Lyon was right up my alley. CEFAM’s summer semester started when Rider’s finals weeks began. Let’s just say that I had approximately five hours after accommodating sleep to unpack Rider, pack for CEFAM, and get on a plane. I have previously been to Paris, but not to Lyon. I preferred Lyon because I admire the countryside more than dense city life. Even though Lyon is the second largest city in France, the pace of life was much slower than Paris. I lived in an apartment by myself, which was something I had never done. There was no meal plan, so I had to cook for myself or go out to eat with classmates. I was surprised at how friendly all of my neighbors in the building behaved. It didn’t matter if you personally knew anybody or not — if two people passed, a bonjour or bonsoir was exchanged. To this day I still don’t know when day turns into evening — I would accidentally say bonjour when it was 8 at night! CEFAM summer semesters usually have more American study abroad students than natives however, I would have loved to have more time to get to know native students. It didn’t bother me, however, because I enjoyed exploring Lyon, and especially Vieux Lyon, at my own pace. I am fairly independent, so I had no trouble navigating France’s public transit systems to get around. Outside of Lyon, I went to Arles to visit Claire, a friend whom I met online three years ago, then to Paris, Grenoble, Annecy and Paris again. After my semester, I spent another two weeks with Claire in Nice, where we enjoyed hiking with her father and taking a day trip to Monaco.  During my time abroad, I had the opportunity to participate in events that were part of my program. I loved the cultural trip to Beaune where we learned how to conduct a wine tasting, as well as tour a museum that used to be an ancient hospital. At the end of the semester, the class had the opportunity to visit a company warehouse and learn the interior workings of Intersport, a French sporting goods company.  Outside of my program, I attended Epitanime, a weekend-long anime convention in Paris. I previously knew of this event (grace à Claire) and I was excited to see the differences in how the French run their fan conventions. I was immediately thrust into speaking non-stop French for the entire weekend to the point where my own English sounded foreign to me.  I am normally timid with speaking French because I do not have the best grammar, but forcing myself into this position helped me get out of my shell. I gradually became comfortable to the point where I didn’t think of my grammatical mistakes, and simply focused on conversations with the new friends I made. A group I met was actually the reason I went to Paris a second time, because they were having an outing in the city while in costume to make short live action films, and they invited me to join them.    Overall, my experience abroad was something that I doubt I could ever recreate. The friendships I formed while abroad followed me back home. I enjoyed trying new food (especially bread and desserts), quietly exploring my surroundings and being able to live French culture instead of reading about it. I finally got to meet a close friend in person, which only strengthened our bond more.  I miss the ease of traveling across the country within a few hours. It was incredible to witness cultural differences within France’s geographical regions for a day trip.  However, I don’t miss how the trains sometimes decided to go on strike and mess with my plans. But hey, c’est la vie.  I loved my experience at CEFAM, and I would gladly attend again if I still had some time before graduating, but being in a classroom does not teach experience. That kind of education is received by going out into the world and embracing it head on.

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• You will have 8 questions to choose from. You must respond to only 4 of the 8 questions.
• Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
• Which questions you choose to answer is entirely up to you. However, you should select questions that are most relevant to your experience and that best reflect your individual circumstances.

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• All questions are equal. All are given equal consideration in the application review process, which means there is no advantage or disadvantage to choosing certain questions over others.
• There is no right or wrong way to answer these questions. It’s about getting to know your personality, background, interests and achievements in your own unique voice.  
• Use the additional comments field if there are issues you'd like to address that you didn't have the opportunity to discuss elsewhere on the application. This shouldn't be an essay, but rather a place to note unusual circumstances or anything that might be unclear in other parts of the application. You may use the additional comments field to note extraordinary circumstances related to COVID-19, if necessary. 

Questions & guidance

Remember, the personal insight questions are just that—personal. Which means you should use our guidance for each question just as a suggestion in case you need help. The important thing is expressing who you are, what matters to you and what you want to share with UC. 

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities?

Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn't necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family? 2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?

How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career? 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? Things to consider: If there is a talent or skill that you're proud of, this is the time to share it.You don't necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?

Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule? 4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that's geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you; just to name a few.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you've faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who you are today? 5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you've faced and what you've learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you're currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family? 6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. Things to consider:  Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can't get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs and what you have gained from your involvement.

Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or future career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that?

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community? 8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? Things to consider:  If there's anything you want us to know about you but didn't find a question or place in the application to tell us, now's your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?

From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don't be afraid to brag a little.

Writing tips

Start early..

Give yourself plenty of time for preparation, careful composition and revisions.

Write persuasively.

Making a list of accomplishments, activities, awards or work will lessen the impact of your words. Expand on a topic by using specific, concrete examples to support the points you want to make.

Use “I” statements.

Talk about yourself so that we can get to know your personality, talents, accomplishments and potential for success on a UC campus. Use “I” and “my” statements in your responses.

Proofread and edit.

Although you will not be evaluated on grammar, spelling or sentence structure, you should proofread your work and make sure your writing is clear. Grammatical and spelling errors can be distracting to the reader and get in the way of what you’re trying to communicate.

Solicit feedback.

Your answers should reflect your own ideas and be written by you alone, but others — family, teachers and friends can offer valuable suggestions. Ask advice of whomever you like, but do not plagiarize from sources in print or online and do not use anyone's words, published or unpublished, but your own.

Copy and paste.

Once you are satisfied with your answers, save them in plain text (ASCII) and paste them into the space provided in the application. Proofread once more to make sure no odd characters or line breaks have appeared.

This is one of many pieces of information we consider in reviewing your application. Your responses can only add value to the application. An admission decision will not be based on this section alone.

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Essay on Education

Here we have shared the Essay on Education in detail so you can use it in your exam or assignment of 150, 250, 400, 500, or 1000 words.

You can use this Essay on Education in any assignment or project whether you are in school (class 10th or 12th), college, or preparing for answer writing in competitive exams. 

Topics covered in this article.

Essay on Education in 150 words

Essay on education in 250-300 words, essay on education in 500-1000 words.

Education is the key to personal growth, social development, and societal progress. It encompasses formal education provided through schools and institutions, as well as informal and lifelong learning. Education equips individuals with the essential knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to navigate the complexities of life and contribute meaningfully to society.

Education empowers individuals, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and innovation. It promotes social mobility, reduces poverty, and fosters social cohesion. Through education, individuals develop the ability to make informed decisions, overcome challenges, and fulfill their potential.

Furthermore, education is a catalyst for positive change. It encourages individuals to question the status quo, explore new ideas, and contribute to the betterment of society. By investing in education, we invest in the future, equipping individuals with the necessary skills to address global challenges, drive innovation, and build a more inclusive and sustainable world.

Education is a fundamental right that should be accessible to all, regardless of gender, socioeconomic background, or geographical location. It is through education that we can create a more equitable, prosperous, and harmonious society.

Education is the cornerstone of personal and societal development. It equips individuals with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to navigate the complexities of life and contribute meaningfully to society. In its broadest sense, education encompasses formal schooling, informal learning, and lifelong learning.

Formal education, provided through schools and institutions, lays the foundation for intellectual, social, and emotional growth. It imparts essential knowledge, promotes critical thinking, and develops skills that are essential for success in various fields.

However, education goes beyond the classroom. Informal learning occurs through everyday experiences, interactions, and self-directed exploration. It allows individuals to acquire practical skills, adaptability, and a broader understanding of the world.

Lifelong learning is a continuous process that extends beyond formal education. It involves the pursuit of knowledge and personal growth throughout one’s life, enabling individuals to adapt to changing circumstances, embrace new opportunities, and contribute to a dynamic society.

Education empowers individuals, enabling them to overcome challenges, make informed decisions, and fulfill their potential. It plays a vital role in promoting social mobility, reducing poverty, and fostering social cohesion.

Moreover, education fosters critical thinking, creativity, and innovation, which are essential for progress and development. It encourages individuals to question the status quo, explore new ideas, and contribute to positive change.

In conclusion, education is an indispensable tool for personal growth and societal progress. It encompasses formal, informal, and lifelong learning, providing individuals with the knowledge, skills, and mindset necessary to navigate the complexities of life. By investing in education, we invest in the future, empowering individuals and communities to create a better world.

Title: Education – Empowering Minds, Shaping Futures

Introduction :

Education is a powerful tool that empowers individuals, shapes futures, and drives societal progress. It encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, development of skills, and cultivation of values that prepare individuals for personal and professional success. This essay delves into the importance of education, its key elements, and its transformative impact on individuals and societies.

The Power of Education

Education is a transformative force that empowers individuals to reach their full potential. It equips them with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate life’s challenges, make informed decisions, and contribute meaningfully to society. Education cultivates critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities, nurturing well-rounded individuals capable of adapting to a rapidly changing world.

Formal Education

Formal education, provided through schools, colleges, and universities, forms the foundation of a person’s educational journey. It involves structured learning environments, standardized curricula, and certified qualifications. Formal education imparts core subjects such as mathematics, science, languages, and humanities, along with important life skills such as communication, collaboration, and critical analysis.

Informal and Lifelong Learning

Education goes beyond formal settings. Informal learning occurs through daily experiences, interactions, and observations. It includes practical skills acquired through apprenticeships, mentorships, and on-the-job training. Lifelong learning, on the other hand, is a continuous process that extends beyond formal education. It involves self-directed learning, personal development, and the pursuit of knowledge throughout one’s life.

The Role of Education in Society

Education plays a crucial role in social development and progress. It promotes social mobility, empowering individuals to transcend socioeconomic barriers and improve their quality of life. Education fosters social cohesion by nurturing understanding, empathy, and tolerance among diverse groups of individuals. It also contributes to economic growth by producing a skilled workforce, fostering innovation, and driving entrepreneurship.

Education for Personal Development

Education is not merely the acquisition of knowledge; it is also a journey of personal growth and self-discovery. It helps individuals develop their unique talents, interests, and passions. Education cultivates values such as integrity, responsibility, and empathy, shaping individuals into ethical and compassionate members of society. Furthermore, it nurtures self-confidence, self-awareness, and resilience, equipping individuals with the tools to overcome challenges and thrive in a competitive world.

Challenges and Opportunities in Education

Despite the transformative power of education, there are numerous challenges that need to be addressed. Access to quality education remains unequal, particularly for marginalized communities and disadvantaged regions. Gender disparities in education persist, limiting opportunities for girls and women. Furthermore, the rapid advancement of technology necessitates adapting educational systems to prepare individuals for the demands of the digital age.

However, there are also exciting opportunities in education. Technology has the potential to revolutionize learning, making education accessible, interactive, and personalized. Blended learning models, online platforms, and open educational resources offer new avenues for education. Emphasizing holistic education, including social and emotional development, promotes well-rounded individuals capable of addressing complex global challenges.

Conclusion :

Education is a transformative force that empowers individuals, shapes futures, and drives societal progress. It goes beyond formal schooling, encompassing informal and lifelong learning. Education fosters critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities, equipping individuals with the skills to navigate an ever-changing world. It promotes social mobility, social cohesion, and economic growth. Moreover, education is a journey of personal development, nurturing values, skills, and self-awareness. While challenges such as unequal access and gender disparities persist, advancements in technology offer exciting opportunities for innovation and inclusive learning. By investing in education and ensuring equal opportunities for all, societies can unlock the full potential of individuals, leading to a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable future.

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Essay about my educational experiences growing up Post Reply New Topic

Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Age: 56 Gender: Male Posts: 689 Location: The Village

This is an an essay I wrote when I was depressed a few years ago. I wrote it to try and put my educational experience into perspective in order to get over with it. I've decided to share it. ------------------------------------------------------ Education – My Experiences My education began in first grade in 1974. My state didn’t mandate kindergarten, so my parents didn’t send me, even though my brothers and sister went. It wasn’t easy for me, because school was the first place I ever got to interact with other people, mainly children, as an equal. Before school started, I was pretty much kept indoors, and not allowed to have contact with other people, except for members of my own family. Being the youngest, I was looked down upon as being inferior, a lower class citizen, and basically, a big joke. During the first 5 years of my life, I figured that was all I was entitled to, and even though I hated it, I lived with it. In first grade, I had to interact with other kids for the first time, which wasn’t easy. I did eventually learn that I could be an equal to them, and soon settled down into school. The quality of education that first year wasn’t bad, I learned a lot and grew a lot during that year. I had great teachers too, who really gave me the help I needed. Second grade at that school was a different story though, I had a different teacher, who wasn’t very good, and seldom offered the help I needed. I was also treated like I was lower than the rest of the students. I don’t know what her problem with me was, but it set me back a great deal, both academically and emotionally. When I needed help, it wasn’t given and I was often ignored. She felt that it wasn’t worth it to help those students who needed it. Fortunately, my parents saw this and intervened, first trying to negotiate, then after that broke down, transferred me to another school. The new school was very different, being more structured than the first, and being a boys’ school. When I started, I was behind in many ways due to the problems of my previous school, but I had a dedicated teacher who helped me catch up the best she could in a short time. I remember having difficulties with cursive writing, which my new teacher helped me with, but giving me a crash course in it for a few weeks at recess every day. I did learn it, but never learned it well, and always got poor marks in penmanship as a result. I don’t fault her for that because she did the best she could under the circumstances. In other areas, I began to excel, often being on the honor roll, being one of the top students in the class. In fact, my teacher was very surprised at how I had started the school behind, and had caught up and excelled. It was nice to be appreciated, both at home and school because I did so well, and it really felt good to accomplish something. I stayed at that school for over 2 years, and had one day hoped to walk across the stage and graduate from there. It never happened because while I was in fourth grade, for some unexplained reason, my parents, who had always respected this school, began to despise it. Among their complaints were I was always doing homework, the school is a “playhouse,” and “they don’t do anything,” which I meant they offered few extracurricular activities, which was a true statement, but in my opinion, wasn’t a problem. On one occasion, I was even picked on about the khaki uniforms we had to wear, which had been worn by my brothers at different schools with no complaints at all from my parents. They constantly harassed me knocking everything about the school and eventually, I gave in and agreed to go to another school, the same school my sister was attending. This new school was totally different from the previous school. It was coed, the classes were larger, and seemed to put academics in lower regard than I was used to. I was also introduced to the concept of “school spirit,” the mindless blind following and support of your school regardless of what they do. I also learned that being a boy who was not athletic was a serious strike against me, since they valued football and other sports over everything else. At my other school, we had always had textbooks that were current and up to date. At this new school, the books were often old and falling apart, if we were lucky enough to get one. During the second and last year I was there, fifth grade, I was basically forced to support my sister in her school band activities, in order to show “school spirit,” something I had no interest in. I was dragged to every single football game, which I didn’t enjoy at all, and even worse, my parents often tried to make me praise her and tell her how much I enjoyed it, which I didn’t. I would rather have stayed home taking it easy, than sitting in the cold stands being blasted with wind and rain, as we sometimes had to endure. I was also dragged to parades she marched in, and often had to listen to her complain about having to do it. My view was to exercise a little free will and not worry about it, but was told, “it’s a school activity.” She made a choice to play in the band, why not live with the consequences. One other new experience I had there was being used for slave labor. Since I wasn’t an athlete, I often spent P.E. periods picking up trash on the grounds, which many times, made me miss afternoon classes. In spite of my parents’ complaints, this practice continued. Fortunately, I was taken out of that school, not because of my difficulties, but because of the poor teachers my sister was forced to endure. Sixth grade was my first and only year in Catholic school. What was really strange was we wore khaki uniforms, the same design I had worn only a year and a half before, that my mother said were “awful looking.” I was also a hard year partially because of the previous summer, which was spent not doing things I liked, but having to go into the swimming pool everyday on my sister and mother’s command. That summer was so humiliating that I often couldn’t look at myself in the mirror, because I felt like a puppet, dancing on my mothers’ and my sisters’ strings. That year was difficult because many of the students didn’t accept me, because I was a transfer student, and I often felt like less of a person because of the humiliating summer I spent before. I also had a hard time going to my parents, since the previous summer had showed me they didn’t’ really care about how I felt or if I had a problem, but instead about forced conformity. It also seemed like my parents had something to prove to this school, which I don’t understand. In one instance, I had to write about what I had done that day, and my mother was determined I would put no TV on that piece, because she wanted to show I didn’t watch TV, which wasn’t true. She does often lie to get what she wants and even when caught sees no problem with it, but will not tolerate anyone else lying to get their way. At the end of the school year, my mother asked me if I wanted to have a swimming party for my class, to which I responded no. She went to my teacher and set one up anyway, which showed me how little my feelings meant to her. I didn’t know how to swim, and had no interest in it, yet she would do anything to force me to swim, enjoy it, and even devote my entire life to it. I honestly believe her goal was to eliminate everything from my life excluding school and swimming, a life I couldn’t have survived. Seventh grade was another school I was sent to because of my sister, she was going there so I had to go there. I did not at all fit in, mainly because most of the students in my class had been expelled from other schools, and I hadn’t. I also had incompetent teachers, many of whom were employed there solely, by the principal’s own admission, worked cheap. I was very unhappy there, not only for these reasons, but because I was discriminated against not only at school, but at home as well. At school, our class was banned from many events, because of a few problem students. That didn’t bother me much, but I also got discrimination at home. My sister would often brag to people about how I spent my summers as her slave because I had to drop anything I wanted to do when she wanted to swim, and often had other students call me “Igor” after the hunchback assistant in the old horror movies. If I ever said anything derogatory to or about my sister, I would be punished, yet she did all of these things to me, and even admitted to our parents she had done it, but was never punished. In fact, they often said that it was impossible for a girl to be bad, that only boys are bad. The school seemed to preach the same thing, in fact, she was once in a fight and there were no consequences, I was and was punished at school and at home. She should have been punished too but instead she was able to brag to my parents and everyone else about fighting, with no consequences. Another incident of discrimination was with my sister’s English class and my Math class. We both had to deal with incompetent teachers, who were neither certified nor held degrees. The classes were impossible and we learned little. What our parents did was to go down to the school and arrange for her to get special treatment, meaning the principal would teach her personally, while I got nothing. I felt if she got out, why shouldn’t I? When I said this, I got no answer, no discussion, other than “That’s just the way it is.” Fortunately, I only stayed one year at this school, which was more than enough. However, I wasn’t out of the woods, I had to spend another summer of forced swimming with my sister, which again, made my life miserable. Eighth grade was my first and only year in public school. My mother made numerous promises to me about how it would be better than anything else, but it wasn’t. I was basically harassed again, for being a transfer student, and because my voice had changed before everyone else’s. A lot of the students constantly grunted at me to make fun of my voice, and nobody would do anything about it. My parents said it had nothing to do with my voice, but instead, was because I “act goofy,” yet would never explain to me what I did that was so bad. I was very miserable, I didn’t know what to do, and suffered day in and day out, and many times, wanted to end my life. What finally brought down my life there was I didn’t participate in an optional project for the science class, and as a result, my science teacher, the only teacher out of six, wouldn’t recommend me for a gifted program, something my parents took very hard. Ever since, even now 18 years later, they call me uncooperative. I was also punished for the entire summer, being barred from TV, music, reading, and any other activity I found pleasurable, being allowed nothing but swimming when my sister wanted me to because “getting in that pool everyday will build you up until you are a human being again.” My sister in the mean time attended public school, and also refused to activities she didn’t want to do. She was downgraded by her English teacher for not doing some optional projects as well but was she punished, or course not. Our parents simply went to the school board, and got her grades changed, from C to A, and was given me as a swimming slave for the summer. I didn’t understand this, she gets a reward for her behavior, and I get punished. I guess my parents don’t believe in punishing girls, I don’t know. My sister went to college, but I ended up in another so-called Christian school. During my first year, I refused to be put through “Freshman Hell Week,” in which senior students are allowed to humiliate freshman for a whole week. To me, that sort of behavior had no business in school, and was far from the strict environment my parents told me it would be. What added insult to injury that year was when my parents saw the yearbook and pictures of Hell Week, my mother actually said “You should have gotten together with them and acted goofy.” First I’m accused for allegedly “acting goofy,” and them I’m criticized for not “acting goofy.” This makes absolutely no sense. My high school years weren’t very happy. My grades were ok, but I didn’t like it at all. I was often picked on because I didn’t do extracurricular activities, I didn’t date, and basically thought there was a world beyond football, proms, and cheerleaders. The worst came my junior year, I was turned down for the honor society, and my parents at first, thought it was politics, then turned against me condemning me for having no personality, not being nice enough, participating in no activities, and not being “glib,” which has been an obsession of theirs ever since. They often condemned me for believing that school grades are based on work, instead of personality, something I never understood, since I was nice and didn’t make any trouble for anyone. My senior year was uneventful, thank goodness, and I was glad to be out of that place. Many people complain about the ineptness of our public schools and want vouchers and other initiatives to privatize education. My experiences tell me this will not work. Many of the private schools I went to were no better and even worse than public schools. The public school I attended had textbooks for each student; I can’t say that about a few of the private schools I was associated with. In addition, the excellent school I went to between second and forth grade is now closed, due to lack of enrollment, while the football school continues to stay in operation. My school years were very painful for me, not only for what I went through at school, for what I went through at home, where it was often preached, “nothing matters but school and swimming.” If I made poor grades, I was punished, but if my sister did the same thing, it was the school’s fault. One day, I know I will completely heal of it all, but now, I’m just working towards that day. The answer is out there; I just have to find it. Amen.

Joined: 16 Jun 2004 Gender: Female Posts: 226 Location: United Kingdom

Im glad you are thinking positive about the future. good luck

Joined: 13 Oct 2017 Gender: Female Posts: 15

Thanks for sharing this! It was an interesting read!

Joined: 4 Feb 2014 Gender: Male Posts: 87,510 Location: Queens, NYC

Why can't you write your own paper??????

Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Age: 69 Gender: Male Posts: 34,433 Location: temperate zone

What a strange thread! Someone makes a pathologically long post. Then thirteen years later a second person (who didnt notice the date on the OP) thanks the first person for posting it not realizing that the first person left the site ages ago. Then in the subsequent six years other people chime in ...in order to promote academic cheating through buying and selling term papers.

Joined: 21 Feb 2011 Age: 56 Gender: Male Posts: 34,300

Joined: 1 Jun 2017 Age: 39 Gender: Female Posts: 16,283 Location: Poland

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Grounding Quality Education from the Experiences of High School Students in Selected Secondary Schools in the Philippines

11 Pages Posted: 7 Jun 2024

Vicente III Baylon T.

Far Eastern University,Manila, Philippines

Date Written: June 6, 2024

Grounding Quality Education from the Experiences of High School Students ,in Selected Secondary Schools in the Philippines. This study explored the experiences of High School Students from two different school in the Philippines. This task is entailed the identification of “Lived encounters of students in terms of accessibility of education, delivery of education, teachers and methodology, and students managing the overall experiences. Aims: The study aimed to make a detailed and comprehensive inquiry into the Lived-Experiences of High School students with a view to develop an essential recommendation for students, teachers, supervisors, Department of Education, and National Government officials. Scope and Limitation of the Study: The study focused on lived experiences of 10selected high school students enrolled in public school and 10 selected high school students enrolled in private school and comparison of the differences in their lives and experiences inside their classroom. Research Design: This observational analytic case control uses the grounded-phenomenological method of research. This method allows the researchers to investigate deeply into the subjective experiences and perspectives of the high school students. Results: In view of quality education, The quality education is to provide an environment for learning in order to eliminate the complex students’ school problems with the right accessibility and sustainability for education with the help of expected government (DepEd) programs and the vital parts of students in the educational system. Conclusion and Recommendation: The successful Quality Education starts with good student assessment of needs are those who manage student consistent learning, sustained-satisfied, and good students outcomes which provided them of awareness, knowledge, skills and preparedness for the future employment.

Keywords: Grounding quality education; experiences of high school students; K12 experiences; conducive learning environment; accessibility of education

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Vicente III Baylon (Contact Author)

Far eastern university,manila, philippines ( email ).

09228655219 (Phone)

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How technology is shaping learning in higher education

About the authors.

This article is a collaborative effort by Claudio Brasca, Charag Krishnan , Varun Marya , Katie Owen, Joshua Sirois, and Shyla Ziade, representing views from McKinsey’s Education Practice.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a shift to remote learning overnight for most higher-education students, starting in the spring of 2020. To complement video lectures and engage students in the virtual classroom, educators adopted technologies that enabled more interactivity and hybrid models of online and in-person activities. These tools changed learning, teaching, and assessment in ways that may persist after the pandemic. Investors have taken note. Edtech start-ups raised record amounts of venture capital in 2020 and 2021, and market valuations for bigger players soared.

A study conducted by McKinsey in 2021 found that to engage most effectively with students, higher-education institutions can focus on eight dimensions  of the learning experience. In this article, we describe the findings of a study of the learning technologies that can enable aspects of several of those eight dimensions (see sidebar “Eight dimensions of the online learning experience”).

Eight dimensions of the online learning experience

Leading online higher-education institutions focus on eight key dimensions of the learning experience across three overarching principles.

Seamless journey

Clear education road map: “My online program provides a road map to achieve my life goals and helps me structure my day to day to achieve steady progress.”

Seamless connections: “I have one-click access to classes and learning resources in the virtual learning platform through my laptop or my phone.”

Engaging teaching approach

Range of learning formats: “My program offers a menu of engaging courses with both self-guided and real-time classes, and lots of interaction with instructors and peers.”

Captivating experiences: “I learn from the best professors and experts. My classes are high quality, with up-to-date content.”

Adaptive learning: “I access a personalized platform that helps me practice exercises and exams and gives immediate feedback without having to wait for the course teacher.”

Real-world skills application: “My online program helps me get hands-on practice using exciting virtual tools to solve real-world problems.”

Caring network

Timely support: “I am not alone in my learning journey and have adequate 24/7 support for academic and nonacademic issues.”

Strong community: “I feel part of an academic community and I’m able to make friends online.”

In November 2021, McKinsey surveyed 600 faculty members and 800 students from public and private nonprofit colleges and universities in the United States, including minority-serving institutions, about the use and impact of eight different classroom learning technologies (Exhibit 1). (For more on the learning technologies analyzed in this research, see sidebar “Descriptions of the eight learning technologies.”) To supplement the survey, we interviewed industry experts and higher-education professionals who make decisions about classroom technology use. We discovered which learning tools and approaches have seen the highest uptake, how students and educators view them, the barriers to higher adoption, how institutions have successfully adopted innovative technologies, and the notable impacts on learning (for details about our methodology, see sidebar “About the research”).

Double-digit growth in adoption and positive perceptions

Descriptions of the eight learning technologies.

• Classroom interactions: These are software platforms that allow students to ask questions, make comments, respond to polls, and attend breakout discussions in real time, among other features. They are downloadable and accessible from phones, computers, and tablets, relevant to all subject areas, and useful for remote and in-person learning.
• Classroom exercises: These platforms gamify learning with fun, low-stakes competitions, pose problems to solve during online classes, allow students to challenge peers to quizzes, and promote engagement with badges and awards. They are relevant to all subject areas.
• Connectivity and community building: A broad range of informal, opt-in tools, these allow students to engage with one another and instructors and participate in the learning community. They also include apps that give students 24/7 asynchronous access to lectures, expanded course materials, and notes with enhanced search and retrieval functionality.
• Group work: These tools let students collaborate in and out of class via breakout/study rooms, group preparation for exams and quizzes, and streamlined file sharing.
• Augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR): Interactive simulations immerse learners in course content, such as advanced lab simulations for hard sciences, medical simulations for nursing, and virtual exhibit tours for the liberal arts. AR can be offered with proprietary software on most mobile or laptop devices. VR requires special headsets, proprietary software, and adequate classroom space for simultaneous use.
• AI adaptive course delivery: Cloud-based, AI-powered software adapts course content to a student’s knowledge level and abilities. These are fully customizable by instructors and available in many subject areas, including business, humanities, and sciences.
• Machine learning–powered teaching assistants: Also known as chatbot programs, machine learning–powered teaching assistants answer student questions and explain course content outside of class. These can auto-create, deliver, and grade assignments and exams, saving instructors’ time; they are downloadable from mobile app stores and can be accessed on personal devices.
• Student progress monitoring: These tools let instructors monitor academic progress, content mastery, and engagement. Custom alerts and reports identify at-risk learners and help instructors tailor the content or their teaching style for greater effectiveness. This capability is often included with subscriptions to adaptive learning platforms.

Survey respondents reported a 19 percent average increase in overall use of these learning technologies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Technologies that enable connectivity and community building, such as social media–inspired discussion platforms and virtual study groups, saw the biggest uptick in use—49 percent—followed by group work tools, which grew by 29 percent (Exhibit 2). These technologies likely fill the void left by the lack of in-person experiences more effectively than individual-focused learning tools such as augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR). Classroom interaction technologies such as real-time chatting, polling, and breakout room discussions were the most widely used tools before the pandemic and remain so; 67 percent of survey respondents said they currently use these tools in the classroom.

About the research

In November 2021, McKinsey surveyed 634 faculty members and 818 students from public, private, and minority-serving colleges and universities over a ten-day period. The survey included only students and faculty who had some remote- or online-learning experience with any of the eight featured technologies. Respondents were 63 percent female, 35 percent male, and 2 percent other gender identities; 69 percent White, 18 percent Black or African American, 8 percent Asian, and 4 percent other ethnicities; and represented every US region. The survey asked respondents about their:

• experiences with technology in the classroom pre-COVID-19;
• experiences with technology in the classroom since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
• desire for future learning experiences in relation to technology.

The shift to more interactive and diverse learning models will likely continue. One industry expert told us, “The pandemic pushed the need for a new learning experience online. It recentered institutions to think about how they’ll teach moving forward and has brought synchronous and hybrid learning into focus.” Consequently, many US colleges and universities are actively investing to scale up their online and hybrid program offerings .

Differences in adoption by type of institution observed in the research

• Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and tribal colleges and universities made the most use of classroom interactions and group work tools (55 percent) and the least use of tools for monitoring student progress (15 percent).
• Private institutions used classroom interaction technologies (84 percent) more than public institutions (63 percent).
• Public institutions, often associated with larger student populations and course sizes, employed group work and connectivity and community-building tools more often than private institutions.
• The use of AI teaching-assistant technologies increased significantly more at public institutions (30 percent) than at private institutions (9 percent), though overall usage remained comparatively higher at private institutions.
• The use of tools for monitoring student progress increased by 14 percent at private institutions, versus no growth at public institutions.

Some technologies lag behind in adoption. Tools enabling student progress monitoring, AR/VR, machine learning–powered teaching assistants (TAs), AI adaptive course delivery, and classroom exercises are currently used by less than half of survey respondents. Anecdotal evidence suggests that technologies such as AR/VR require a substantial investment in equipment and may be difficult to use at scale in classes with high enrollment. Our survey also revealed utilization disparities based on size. Small public institutions use machine learning–powered TAs, AR/VR, and technologies for monitoring student progress at double or more the rates of medium and large public institutions, perhaps because smaller, specialized schools can make more targeted and cost-effective investments. We also found that medium and large public institutions made greater use of connectivity and community-building tools than small public institutions (57 to 59 percent compared with 45 percent, respectively). Although the uptake of AI-powered tools was slower, higher-education experts we interviewed predict their use will increase; they allow faculty to tailor courses to each student’s progress, reduce their workload, and improve student engagement at scale (see sidebar “Differences in adoption by type of institution observed in the research”).

While many colleges and universities are interested in using more technologies to support student learning, the top three barriers indicated are lack of awareness, inadequate deployment capabilities, and cost (Exhibit 3).

Students want entertaining and efficient tools

More than 60 percent of students said that all the classroom learning technologies they’ve used since COVID-19 began had improved their learning and grades (Exhibit 4). However, two technologies earned higher marks than the rest for boosting academic performance: 80 percent of students cited classroom exercises, and 71 percent cited machine learning–powered teaching assistants.

Although AR/VR is not yet widely used, 37 percent of students said they are “most excited” about its potential in the classroom. While 88 percent of students believe AR/VR will make learning more entertaining, just 5 percent said they think it will improve their ability to learn or master content (Exhibit 5). Industry experts confirmed that while there is significant enthusiasm for AR/VR, its ability to improve learning outcomes is uncertain. Some data look promising. For example, in a recent pilot study, 1 “Immersive biology in the Alien Zoo: A Dreamscape Learn software product,” Dreamscape Learn, accessed October 2021. students who used a VR tool to complete coursework for an introductory biology class improved their subject mastery by an average of two letter grades.

Faculty embrace new tools but would benefit from more technical support and training

Faculty gave learning tools even higher marks than students did, for ease of use, engagement, access to course resources, and instructor connectivity. They also expressed greater excitement than students did for the future use of technologies. For example, while more than 30 percent of students expressed excitement for AR/VR and classroom interactions, more than 60 percent of faculty were excited about those, as well as machine learning–powered teaching assistants and AI adaptive technology.

Eighty-one percent or more of faculty said they feel the eight learning technology tools are a good investment of time and effort relative to the value they provide (Exhibit 6). Expert interviews suggest that employing learning technologies can be a strain on faculty members, but those we surveyed said this strain is worthwhile.

While faculty surveyed were enthusiastic about new technologies, experts we interviewed stressed some underlying challenges. For example, digital-literacy gaps have been more pronounced since the pandemic because it forced the near-universal adoption of some technology solutions, deepening a divide that was unnoticed when adoption was sporadic. More tech-savvy instructors are comfortable with interaction-engagement-focused solutions, while staff who are less familiar with these tools prefer content display and delivery-focused technologies.

According to experts we interviewed, learning new tools and features can bring on general fatigue. An associate vice president of e-learning at one university told us that faculty there found designing and executing a pilot study of VR for a computer science class difficult. “It’s a completely new way of instruction. . . . I imagine that the faculty using it now will not use it again in the spring.” Technical support and training help. A chief academic officer of e-learning who oversaw the introduction of virtual simulations for nursing and radiography students said that faculty holdouts were permitted to opt out but not to delay the program. “We structured it in a ‘we’re doing this together’ way. People who didn’t want to do it left, but we got a lot of support from vendors and training, which made it easy to implement simulations.”

Reimagining higher education in the United States

Takeaways from our research.

Despite the growing pains of digitizing the classroom learning experience, faculty and students believe there is a lot more they can gain. Faculty members are optimistic about the benefits, and students expect learning to stay entertaining and efficient. While adoption levels saw double-digit growth during the pandemic, many classrooms have yet to experience all the technologies. For institutions considering the investment, or those that have already started, there are several takeaways to keep in mind.

• It’s important for administration leaders, IT, and faculty to agree on what they want to accomplish by using a particular learning technology. Case studies and expert interviews suggest institutions that seek alignment from all their stakeholders before implementing new technologies are more successful. Is the primary objective student engagement and motivation? Better academic performance? Faculty satisfaction and retention? Once objectives are set, IT staff and faculty can collaborate more effectively in choosing the best technology and initiating programs.
• Factor in student access to technology before deployment. As education technology use grows, the digital divide for students puts access to education at risk. While all the institution types we surveyed use learning technologies in the classroom, they do so to varying degrees. For example, 55 percent of respondents from historically Black colleges and universities and tribal colleges and universities use classroom interaction tools. This is lower than public institutions’ overall utilization rate of 64 percent and private institutions’ utilization rate of 84 percent. Similarly, 15 percent of respondents from historically Black colleges and universities and tribal colleges and universities use tools for monitoring student progress, while the overall utilization rate for both public and private institutions is 25 percent.
• High-quality support eases adoption for students and faculty. Institutions that have successfully deployed new learning technologies provided technical support and training for students and guidance for faculty on how to adapt their course content and delivery. For example, institutions could include self-service resources, standardize tools for adoption, or provide stipend opportunities for faculty who attend technical training courses. One chief academic officer told us, “The adoption of platforms at the individual faculty level can be very difficult. Ease of use is still very dependent upon your IT support representative and how they will go to bat to support you.”
• Agree on impact metrics and start measuring in advance of deployment. Higher-education institutions often don’t have the means to measure the impact of their investment in learning technologies, yet it’s essential for maximizing returns. Attributing student outcomes to a specific technology can be complex due to the number of variables involved in academic performance. However, prior to investing in learning technologies, the institution and its faculty members can align on a core set of metrics to quantify and measure their impact. One approach is to measure a broad set of success indicators, such as tool usage, user satisfaction, letter grades, and DFW rates (the percentage of students who receive a D, F, or Withdraw) each term. The success indicators can then be correlated by modality—online versus hybrid versus in-class—to determine the impact of specific tools. Some universities have offered faculty grants of up to $20,000 for running pilot programs that assess whether tools are achieving high-priority objectives. “If implemented properly, at the right place, and with the right buy-in, education technology solutions are absolutely valuable and have a clear ROI,” a senior vice president of academic affairs and chief technology officer told us.

In an earlier article , we looked at the broader changes in higher education that have been prompted by the pandemic. But perhaps none has advanced as quickly as the adoption of digital learning tools. Faculty and students see substantial benefits, and adoption rates are a long way from saturation, so we can expect uptake to continue. Institutions that want to know how they stand in learning tech adoption can measure their rates and benchmark them against the averages in this article and use those comparisons to help them decide where they want to catch up or get ahead.

Claudio Brasca is a partner in McKinsey’s Bay Area office, where Varun Marya is a senior partner; Charag Krishnan is a partner in the New Jersey office; Katie Owen is an associate partner in the St. Louis office, where Joshua Sirois is a consultant; and Shyla Ziade is a consultant in the Denver office.

The authors wish to thank Paul Kim, chief technology officer and associate dean at Stanford School of Education, and Ryan Golden for their contributions to this article.

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• Open access
• Published: 30 May 2024

Enhancing AI competence in health management: students’ experiences with ChatGPT as a learning Tool

• Lior Naamati-Schneider 1  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  598 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Metrics details

The healthcare industry has had to adapt to significant shifts caused by technological advancements, demographic changes, economic pressures, and political dynamics. These factors are reshaping the complex ecosystem in which healthcare organizations operate and have forced them to modify their operations in response to the rapidly evolving landscape. The increase in automation and the growing importance of digital and virtual environments are the key drivers necessitating this change. In the healthcare sector in particular, processes of change, including the incorporation of artificial intelligent language models like ChatGPT into daily life, necessitate a reevaluation of digital literacy skills.

This study proposes a novel pedagogical framework that integrates problem-based learning with the use of ChatGPT for undergraduate healthcare management students, while qualitatively exploring the students’ experiences with this technology through a thematic analysis of the reflective journals of 65 students.

Through the data analysis, the researcher identified five main categories: (1) Use of Literacy Skills; (2) User Experiences with ChatGPT; (3) ChatGPT Information Credibility; (4) Challenges and Barriers when Working with ChatGPT; (5) Mastering ChatGPT-Prompting Competencies . The findings show that incorporating digital tools, and particularly ChatGPT, in medical education has a positive impact on students’ digital literacy and on AI Literacy skills.

Conclusions

The results underscore the evolving nature of these skills in an AI-integrated educational environment and offer valuable insights into students’ perceptions and experiences. The study contributes to the broader discourse about the need for updated AI literacy skills in medical education from the early stages of education.

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Introduction

In recent years, the healthcare sector has undergone significant shifts in both local and global contexts. These shifts are primarily attributed to demographic, technological, economic, and political factors. These changes have had a profound impact on the healthcare ecosystem, requiring organizations to adapt their operations and strategies to this evolving landscape [ 1 , 2 ]. In response, healthcare organizations have had to modify their behavior to adapt to this ever-changing reality [ 3 ]. Among the factors that have most significantly affected the healthcare system are technological advancements, automation, and the rise of digital and virtual environments. The impact of these factors gained momentum in December 2019, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Technological advances, particularly the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools, have been central to this transformation, with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating the need for healthcare systems to adapt and innovate [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. The integration of AI in healthcare, including the deployment of chatbots like ChatGPT that utilize the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT)—a type of large language model (LLM)—underscores a shift toward digital and AI literacy in medical education and practice. [ 9 , 10 ].

The adoption of AI in healthcare, highlighted by the use of systems like ChatGPT, marks a pivotal shift towards greater digital and AI literacy in medical education and practice [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. This reflects the healthcare sector’s broader move towards technological innovation, aiming to enhance patient care and revolutionize healthcare professional training. Incorporating AI, such as ChatGPT, into educational frameworks prepares students for the complexities of modern healthcare, demonstrating AI’s potential to transform both healthcare delivery and professional skill development [ 11 , 12 ].

In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI, where technological developments are occurring at an accelerated pace, there is a significant need for comprehensive research to navigate this ever-changing landscape. In particular, research into the impact of AI on healthcare is still limited, highlighting the urgent need for more focused studies on the implications for medical education and the effective training of healthcare professionals in the use of AI technologies [ 13 , 14 ]. The emergence of LLMs, such as GPT, and their applications in educational frameworks, including chatbots like ChatGPT, has increased the urgency of reassessing the skills required, with a particular focus on digital literacy. This reassessment is essential to determine the continued relevance of these skills or whether a fundamental refocusing is required. Such a re-examination is essential to ensure that the healthcare workforce is adequately prepared for the challenges and opportunities presented by the integration of AI into healthcare practice [ 11 ].

Studies [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ] have identified a significant gap in understanding how digital literacy skills—such as accessing, analyzing, evaluating, and creating digital content—play a role in effectively leveraging LLMs like GPT and their applications, including chatbots such as ChatGPT, within educational frameworks. Furthermore, the successful integration of ChatGPT into educational settings may potentially lessen the reliance on traditional digital literacy skills, prompting a reevaluation of their ongoing relevance [ 19 , 20 ]. This gap underscores the need for more research into the critical role that digital literacy skills hold in the efficient use of technologies like ChatGPT for educational aims, as highlighted by recent literature [ 15 , 17 , 18 ]. ChatGPT’s access to accurate medical information could reduce the need for individual data analysis skills [ 21 , 22 ]. Yet, concerns persist among researchers that its content generation might hinder critical thinking development, including source evaluation and idea generation [ 23 , 24 ].

This qualitative study introduces a pedagogical framework that synergizes problem-based learning with the application of ChatGPT among undergraduate healthcare management students. It aims to qualitatively examine their interactions with this technology, focusing on the transition from traditional digital literacy towards a more advanced AI literacy. This evolution in educational focus is poised to revolutionize the requisite competencies for navigating the dynamic healthcare sector of today.

The rationale behind focusing on ChatGPT stems from its notable accessibility, user-friendly design, and versatility as a comprehensive tool in healthcare settings. Its capability to simulate human-like dialogues positions it as a prime resource for educational initiatives, thereby enriching the pedagogical domain of healthcare management and clinical practices. The unrestricted access to ChatGPT, along with its wide-ranging utility in executing diverse healthcare operations, underscores its capacity to significantly contribute to and spearhead innovation within healthcare education and practices. The selection of ChatGPT, attributed to its approachability and adaptability, marks a strategic endeavor to investigate the impact of artificial intelligence amidst the shifting paradigms of healthcare requirements. Yet, despite the widespread integration of ChatGPT in healthcare, research into the long-term effects and the necessary adaptation of skills and methods remains lacking. [ 11 , 12 ].

Literature review

Ai tools in medical settings.

AI involves creating systems that mimic human cognitive functions such as perception, speech recognition, and decision-making through machine learning. It excels in analyzing data, identifying patterns, and making predictions, offering improvements over traditional data processing. AI’s applications span multiple sectors, including healthcare, at various levels from individual to global [ 25 , 26 ]. The integration of AI into healthcare enhances diagnostic, treatment, and patient care, offering advanced decision-making and predictions [ 9 , 10 , 25 , 27 ].AI technologies enhance clinical decision-making, diagnosis, and treatment by analyzing patient data through machine learning for informed decisions, offering 24/7 support via AI chatbots, and enabling remote monitoring with AI-powered devices like wearable sensors [ 9 , 28 ].

AI facilitates remote patient monitoring, minimizing in-person healthcare visits [ 29 ]. It improves service personalization, with AI assistants managing appointments and reminders, and chatbots streamlining insurance claims, easing provider workloads [ 9 ]. AI automates routine administrative tasks, freeing providers to concentrate on patient care. It streamlines operations, cuts bureaucracy, and analyzes data to improve healthcare management and predict service demand, allowing for better resource allocation. AI’s analysis of patient feedback further aids in enhancing service delivery [ 10 ]. AI integration can transform patient-caregiver dynamics, enhancing diagnosis, treatment, and self-management of health conditions [ 30 ]. While AI integration in healthcare promises significant advancements, it presents challenges, including data management issues and the need for specialized skills.

Sallam [ 14 ] highlights ChatGPT’s potential advantages in healthcare, including enhancing clinical workflows, diagnostics, and personalized medicine. However, challenges such as ethical dilemmas, interpretability issues, and content accuracy must be tackled. In healthcare education, although ChatGPT holds promise for customized learning and creating lifelike clinical scenarios, concerns about bias, plagiarism, and content quality persist. Addressing these concerns necessitates preparing healthcare professionals and students through education and training to navigate the complexities of AI. Additionally, extensive research in these domains is essential [ 6 , 9 , 14 , 31 , 32 ].

Teaching with AI and about AI: advancing education in the digital age

To be able to utilize AI tools effectively and integrate them seamlessly into their everyday work, healthcare professionals need early exposure to AI tools in their education to boost their proficiency and confidence, understanding both their potential and limitations [ 9 , 32 , 33 ]. York et al. [ 32 ] explored medical professionals’ attitudes towards AI in radiology, revealing a positive outlook on AI’s healthcare benefits but also highlighting a notable gap in AI knowledge. This emphasizes the need for enhanced AI training in medical education.

According to Sallam [ 14 ], ChatGPT and other models based on lLLMs have significantly improved healthcare education. They customize responses to student inquiries, curate relevant educational material, and tailor content to individual learning styles. For instance, ChatGPT generates personalized quiz questions, suggests resources to fill knowledge gaps, and adjusts explanations to suit diverse learning preferences. Moreover, it simplifies complex medical concepts, employs analogies and examples for clarity, and offers supplementary materials to enhance comprehension.

Breeding et al. [ 11 ] argued that in medical education, ChatGPT should be viewed as a supplementary tool rather than a substitute for traditional sources. While it offers clear and organized information, medical students still perceive evidence-based sources as more comprehensive. Eysenbach [ 33 ] engaged in a series of dialogues with ChatGPT to explore its integration into medical education. ChatGPT demonstrated proficiency in various tasks, such as grading essays, providing feedback, creating virtual patient scenarios, enhancing medical textbooks, summarizing research articles, and explaining key findings. Nevertheless, it also demonstrated a tendency to produce erroneous responses and fabricated data, including references. Such inaccuracies have the potential to generate student misconceptions, spread misinformation, and cause a decline in critical thinking skills [ 33 ]. Han et al. [ 34 ] conducted a comprehensive examination of ChatGPT’s effectiveness as a pedagogical tool in medical education, focusing on the chatbot’s interaction with delineated educational objectives and tasks. Their findings suggest that while ChatGPT is capable of providing elementary data and explanations, it is not impervious to constraints and sometimes provides incorrect or partial information. The study stresses active learning and analytical reasoning in medical education, emphasizing the importance of understanding basic sciences and the need for expert oversight to ensure AI-generated information accuracy [ 34 ].

Das et al. [ 35 ] evaluated ChatGPT’s efficacy in medical education, focusing on microbiology questions at different difficulty levels. They found that ChatGPT could answer basic and complex microbiology queries with roughly 80% accuracy, indicating its potential as an automated educational tool in medicine. The study underscores the importance of ongoing improvements in training language models to enhance their effectiveness for academic use [ 35 , 36 ].AI implementation in healthcare must be carefully managed to maximize benefits and minimize risks [ 11 , 12 , 35 , 36 ]. With the rapid development of digital technologies and AI tools, particularly in healthcare, students need appropriate resources to use these technologies effectively [ 37 ]. Digital literacy is essential in the 21st century, including skills for interacting with digital content [ 16 , 18 ]. Hence, medical literacy skills should start early in the education of healthcare students.

Digital literacy and eHealth literacy skills

Digital literacy skills encompass a collection of essential abilities necessary for using digital technologies effectively in accessing and retrieving information [ 38 ]. These skills are often viewed as foundational digital literacies that are critical for full participation in the digital era [ 39 ]. The European Commission emphasizes the importance of digital literacy for employability and citizenship. They advocate for policies and programs to enhance digital skills across all segments of society. The EU aims for 70% of adults to have basic digital skills by 2025, focusing on analytical, evaluative, and critical thinking abilities crucial for assessing digital information’s quality and credibility [ 40 ]. Individuals need these skills to discern biases and misinformation in various media formats [ 16 , 17 , 41 ] and evaluate the credibility of online sources [ 42 ]. Critical thinking is crucial for distinguishing between accurate information and misinformation [ 43 ], while data literacy is essential for interpreting data and detecting misleading statistics [ 44 ]. These competencies are fundamental for navigating today’s complex digital information landscape.

eHealth literacy, which incorporates the digital skills needed to access and utilize medical information from digital platforms [ 45 ], is gaining recognition as an integral component of overall health literacy. Enhanced online medical literacy is vital for healthcare professionals and administrators [ 46 ] to adapt to changing demands and improve care management within evolving healthcare paradigms [ 47 ]. Additionally, acquisition of digital competencies has been identified as a valuable strategy that healthcare providers and managers can use to manage the psychological effects of heightened workloads and uncertainty, such as the fear, stress, and anxiety emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic [ 48 ]. These skills enable individuals to use AI as both an independent tool and a supplementary aid in decision-making. However, addressing challenges like bias and academic integrity is crucial when integrating AI into medical education [ 32 , 33 , 49 ]. Critical thinking skills are essential for analyzing digital information, identifying inconsistencies, and evaluating arguments. In today’s era of misinformation, users must verify the accuracy of online content and distinguish between reliable sources and hoaxes [ 43 ]. Data literacy skills are also crucial for interpreting data accurately, detecting misleading statistics, and making informed decisions based on credible sources in the digital age [ 44 ].

Research on digital literacy emphasizes the importance of analytical and evaluative skills. Morgan et al. [ 17 ] found that higher education students struggle most with evaluating digital content for bias and quality. They excel in social literacy skills like communication. This highlights the need to prioritize adaptability in digital literacy, integrating industry-relevant experiences into education to ensure students can navigate and critically assess digital information for real-world applications.

Indeed, since the introduction of ChatGPT in 2022, it has been beneficial in various educational contexts. Nevertheless, concerns have been raised about potential inaccuracies and misinformation that may affect student learning and critical thinking [ 20 ]. Moreover, the potential redundancy of certain digital skills as a result of ChatGPT’s capabilities has also sparked discussions on changing educational objectives [ 19 , 21 , 22 ]. The development of ChatGPT may replace some digital skills as it takes over tasks previously expected of students. Researchers [ 21 , 22 ] argue that it is constantly improving its ability to access accurate medical information, providing reliable advice and treatment options from reputable sources. This ability may render the need for individuals to be adept at information retrieval and evaluation redundant. In other words, ChatGPT’s growing proficiency in tasks such as translation, text summarization, and sentiment analysis, and its ability to generate content like movies [ 23 ] may potentially lead to the underdevelopment of critical thinking skills, including the ability to evaluate source quality and reliability, formulate informed judgments, and generate creative and original ideas [ 24 ]. Indeed, the integration of AI into the healthcare sector raises critical questions about the nature and scope of the digital skills required in the future [ 19 , 20 ].

As AI advances, essential digital competencies may need reassessment to keep pace with technology. This requires forward-thinking digital literacy initiatives, particularly in healthcare education and practice. Proactively addressing the potential impact of AI on human interactions with digital healthcare technologies is critical. This will ensure that healthcare professionals and students are skilled in current digital practices, and prepared for the evolving role of AI in the sector. Despite the swift integration of AI tools in healthcare, and applications like ChatGPT, research on their long-term impacts, effects on users, and the necessary adaptation of skills and methodologies in the ever-evolving learning environment remains insufficient [ 11 , 12 , 15 , 17 , 18 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ].

This study aims to address the intersection of AI adoption in healthcare and its implications for medical education, specifically focusing on the skills required by healthcare professionals. With the rapid incorporation of AI, into healthcare settings, there is an urgent need to reassess the digital literacy skills traditionally emphasized in medical education. This reassessment prompts questions about the ongoing relevance of these skills as AI technologies continue to evolve and expand their role in healthcare [ 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].

Research questions

Given the context, this study aims to explore the following qualitative research questions:

How does a pedagogical framework integrating problem-based learning with ChatGPT affect healthcare management undergraduates’ digital literacy skills?

What are students’ experiences with the combined use of problem-based learning and ChatGPT in their healthcare management education?

How do students perceive the shift towards AI-relevant skills as a result of engaging with this integrated pedagogical approach?

Methodology

Methodological approach.

The present research adopts the case study methodology, which entails in-depth empirical research of a current phenomenon within its real-world context [ 50 ]. This approach involves collecting data on human activities within a defined time and space setting, thereby facilitating an understanding of the various processes occurring within the research case. In qualitative research, and particularly in case study research, themes are formulated from the participants’ narratives, thus allowing for the development of arguments or generalizations derived deductively from participants’ statements [ 51 ]. By focusing on our research questions and using a methodological framework that emphasizes depth and context, the study aims to shed light on the transformative impact of AI on medical education and the development of the skills required for future healthcare professionals.

The research was conducted and analyzed by the researcher, who has a PhD in Healthcare Management and over 15 years of experience in qualitative analysis. Her expertise ensures a deep understanding of the study’s qualitative data. Throughout the research, she engaged in continuous reflexive practices to evaluate how her subjectivity and context influenced the study. This included reflecting on her assumptions, considering power dynamics with participants, aligning research paradigms and methods, and understanding the research context [ 59 ].

Participants and research population

The study involved 89 third-year undergraduate students enrolled in a Health System Management degree program, specifically participating in a course on Service Quality in the Healthcare System during the 2023 academic year. The researcher, serving as the lecturer for this course, integrated writing reflective journals into the curriculum as part of the learning process. Following the course’s conclusion and after grades were distributed, the researcher asked students, in adherence to ethical guidelines, if they consented to have their reflective journals analyzed for research purposes, as outlined in the data collection section. Only students who completed all components of the intervention plan outlined for the class were considered potential participants in the research population.

From this group, qualitative data was extracted from the reflective journals of 65 students who consented to participate. The demographic breakdown of this participant subset included 80% females, with an average age of 24.26 years (Standard Deviation = 3.80).

Data collection

Throughout the course, participants were required to keep a reflective journal documenting their learning journey, to be submitted at the end of the semester. The aim of writing the journal was to capture their personal perceptions of their learning experience. They were encouraged to articulate various challenges, obstacles, and positive and negative aspects they encountered [ 52 ]. Specifically, they were asked to describe the main challenges they faced and the obstacles they overcame, and to provide an introspective account of their experiences. The practice of writing a personal journal not only served as a tool for reflection but also helped them adopt a comprehensive perspective on their educational process [ 53 ].

The credibility of the reflective journal prompts was assured by grounding their development in an extensive literature review and expert consultations within the field of healthcare education. This process ensured that the prompts accurately reflected the constructs of interest, facilitating consistent and meaningful student reflections. Content validity was emphasized to ensure the journal prompts were aligned with the study’s objectives and relevant to students’ experiences in healthcare management education. Refinement of these prompts to effectively meet research objectives was facilitated through expert input. A detailed coding scheme was developed, featuring definitions and categories reflecting the study’s aims and insights from the journals. The coding was applied to a subset of journals by the researcher to ensure credibility.

The data were collected from the reflective journals in accordance with the intervention plan outlined in the Instructional Method section. The study carefully complied with several ethical guidelines for research with human subjects. The nature and purpose of the research were fully explained to the students, with particular emphasis on the use of reflective journals to evaluate the intervention plan. The students gave their informed consent and signed consent forms. To ensure confidentiality, participants were informed that all names would be replaced by pseudonyms and all identifying details would be removed from the final research report. They were also explicitly told that the journal entries would be processed anonymously. The research was approved by the college’s Ethics Committee.

Instructional method procedure (intervention plan)

The focus of this study is a required course titled Introducing Quality into the Health System, which had formerly been taught using traditional frontal teaching methods. The study examines the transformation of this course into a course taught using ChatGPT-mediated online guided learning. This innovative learning approach provides learners a comprehensive experience that entails self-directed learning. The approach emphasizes problem-based learning and focuses on identifying ethical dilemmas and analyzing them within organizational contexts. The intervention plan was strategically organized into five primary stages. Each stage comprised a series of carefully constructed steps that were specifically designed to build upon the knowledge and skills acquired in the previous stages, thus ensuring a coherent and cumulative educational progression. Figure  1 summarizes the instructional method.

Initial Familiarization with ChatGPT

At the beginning of the course, students were introduced to ChatGPT to develop their understanding and proficiency with the tool. This involved providing them detailed instructions on effective usage and encouraging them to engage in interactive dialogues with ChatGPT. The aim was to foster a sense of familiarity and ease, thereby facilitating an informal, hands-on learning experience.

Exploratory Analysis of a Dilemma using ChatGPT

In this exploratory stage, students began to examine the topic of hospital accreditation. Through interactions with ChatGPT, they were introduced to the pros and cons of the accreditation process and to the dilemmas posed by following the accreditation guidelines. The issue of accreditation is central to the discourse on how to improve healthcare quality, but it is also fraught with challenges, such as staff shortages and funding issues. Hospitals have had to make significant changes to meet accreditation standards, leading to debates about possible abolition of the accreditation system. While accreditation is crucial for quality control, its associated costs, particularly those related to inspections and the need for additional staff, pose significant challenges. Without proportional funding, compulsory accreditation has placed financial pressures on hospitals, creating a complex dynamic for both the Ministry of Health and healthcare institutions as they navigate the accreditation process.

To explore the topic of accreditation in depth, students were instructed to develop a series of questions to input to ChatGPT aimed at extracting detailed information about the accreditation dilemma. Students engaged with ChatGPT by posing questions and critically analyzing the answers from three perspectives: organizational, healthcare worker, and patient/customer. They iteratively refined their queries to increase precision until they achieved a comprehensive understanding. Following guidelines, they condensed and reorganized the information into a structured paragraph, incorporating the core dilemmas and arguments from each perspective. To meet objectives, students demonstrated digital media skills, including locating and sharing relevant materials, analyzing ChatGPT responses, verifying sources, and assessing content credibility.

Synthesis and Documentation of Concepts Emerging through ChatGPT Interaction

In the third stage, students were required to submit a comprehensive list detailing new concepts, themes, and sub-themes that emerged from their learning experience with ChatGPT. Their submitted list was not limited to the final results, but also included documentation of all stages of their work, including their initial set of questions, their subsequent refinement of these questions, and the process of their development throughout the learning journey. In addition, they were required to provide a final section summarizing the culmination of their exploration and learning process with ChatGPT. This comprehensive approach was designed to demonstrate the students’ engagement and progression with the tool and to highlight their ability to develop their inquiries and synthesize information effectively.

Analytical Structuring of Learning Outcomes

In the fourth stage, students attempted to refine the learning outcomes they had previously generated. Following the established guidelines, their main objective was to identify and highlight the pros and cons of the various arguments related to the dilemmas they had studied, making sure to consider them from different perspectives. The challenge was to present their arguments in a coherent and logical order, for example by comparing budgetary considerations with quality considerations. They were also expected to support each argument with scientific evidence, thereby aligning their analysis with academic accuracy and empirical research. This stage was crucial in developing their ability to critically evaluate and articulate complex issues, particularly in the field of healthcare.

Final project: Integrative Analysis and multidimensional presentation

In the final stage, students developed and presented a final project, building upon their prior work to explore a comprehensive research question or delve into a specific aspect of their study. This included presenting organizational and managerial viewpoints. The choice of format and tools for their project and presentation—ranging from e-posters and slides to video clips, using familiar technologies like PowerPoint and ThingLink—was left to the students. This method fostered diversity and empowered students by allowing them to select their preferred presentation technique. Moreover, the project featured a peer review phase where students critiqued each other’s work through insightful questions and suggestions, enhancing the discussion. This interactive element aimed to bolster critical thinking and collaborative learning.

Summary of instructional method

Reflective Journaling: documenting the Learning Journey

Throughout the semester, students kept a reflective journal, which they submitted at the end of the course. The primary aim of this journal was to document their personal learning experiences. The journal provided a window on their challenges, difficulties and successes they encountered, all viewed through the lens of their own perceptions and experiences.

Data analysis

The present research employed a deductive-inductive method for categorical analysis of the dataset. Integration of these deductive and inductive approaches was essential to facilitate investigation of predefined categories that are grounded in extant literature and theoretical frameworks, as well as to permit the discovery of novel categories that surfaced during the analysis process [ 51 ]. Initially, the deductive stage was conducted, focusing on predefined categories derived from existing literature and theoretical frameworks. Following this, the inductive stage allowed for the identification and development of novel categories based on the data analysis. The inclusion of episodes, thoughts, and feelings expressed by the students in this study serves to reinforce the reliability of the identified themes. The analysis of the reflective journals began with in-depth reading to identify initial themes from students’ narratives. Inductive coding facilitated the identification and development of themes by the researcher, rather than merely allowing them to ‘emerge.’ This active interpretation and organization of the data by the researcher led to a compilation of key insights. After ensuring the reliability and validity of these findings through careful review, the researcher then organized the codes into themes and sub-themes, ensuring they accurately reflected the data and provided a clear narrative of the students’ experiences.

The findings

The researcher’s analysis of the reflective journals actively uncovered five main categories: (1) Use of Literacy Skills; (2) User Experiences with ChatGPT; (3) ChatGPT Information Credibility; (4) Challenges and Barriers when Working with ChatGPT; (5) Mastering ChatGPT Prompting Competencies. Table  1 summarizes the identified categories and subcategories. To further clarify each category, the table includes representative quotations from the data for illustrative purposes. Throughout the manuscript, pseudonyms have been used with quotations. This approach ensures confidentiality and anonymity for all participants.

Use of literacy skills

The category comprising the use of literacy skills, the code refers to instances where participants relate literacy skills such as reading comprehension, searching evaluation of Information, etc., in their interactions with ChatGPT.

It includes three subcategories: Search Strategies and Access to Data in ChatGPT Use; Data Analysis Enhancement with ChatGPT ; and Evaluation of Information in ChatGPT Interactions Search Strategies and Access to Data in ChatGPT Use.

In the reflective journals, the students consistently expressed their high regard for the efficiency and ease of searching for and accessing information through ChatGPT. The chat interface significantly improved the process of retrieving information by removing the necessity to navigate through multiple websites or sources, thereby making the material more accessible. Furthermore, the interface’s user-friendly and accessible content format played a crucial role in significantly enhancing students’ understanding of the material. Shir wrote: The chat was super easy and helpful in making the dilemma clearer for me. It put all the info I needed in one spot, and everything was explained in a way that was simple to understand.

The analysis of the student journals underscored the remarkable proficiency of ChatGPT in rapidly and effortlessly providing information for various tasks. This technology alleviated the necessity for students to delve into multiple sources, offering a direct approach for understanding concepts, interpreting implications, and compiling data for complex issues. ChatGPT’s swift and handy information retrieval supported autonomous learning on the topic. As an accessible and user-friendly tool, it saved considerable time. Moreover, its accessibility and constant availability helped in tailoring learning experiences to fit the learner’s schedule, independent of external factors or intermediaries. ChatGPT’s use of simple, everyday language, coupled with its capacity to deconstruct and elucidate complex concepts, rendered it exceedingly approachable and beneficial for information searches and for enhancing the accessibility of educational content. Lihi also acknowledged the efficacy of ChatGPT in facilitating the rapid acquisition and expansion of her conceptual knowledge. She underscored that the ChatGPT tool obviated the need to consult multiple databases and websites for extracting conceptual information: ChatGPT is really fast and easy to use when you need info on lots of different things. It’s great for finding technical stuff, explaining problems, understanding things better, and getting new ideas on the spot. You don’t even have to go looking for more sources – it’s all right there.

Data synthesis and analysis enhancement with ChatGPT

Analysis of the reflective journals indicates that students found the synthesis, editing, and analysis of content facilitated by ChatGPT to be extremely beneficial. The tool significantly reduced the technical complexity of gathering and synthesizing information from different sources, tasks that had previously been their responsibility. As a result, they were spared the need for synthesizing, editing, and analyzing the raw data, with ChatGPT efficiently performing these functions on their behalf. Meir wrote: ChatGPT really helped us out. It gave us a full picture of the whole process, including the good and bad parts, and how to handle them. We didn’t even need to look at any other info sources at that point .

Evaluation of information in ChatGPT Interaction

The streamlined data collection procedures enabled the students to engage in more advanced learning processes, such as distinguishing between facts and assumptions, differentiating critical from non-critical information, and developing arguments as they advanced to more complex stages. The students observed that although ChatGPT presented data objectively, it did not offer explicit arguments, thus requiring them to actively interpret and formulate their own positions regarding the dilemma and identify the foundational principles for their principal arguments. For example, Miri’s reflections highlighted her need to formulate and develop a stance on the dilemma, which compelled her to engage in critical assessment of the situation:

ChatGPT didn’t really point out which arguments were more important or less important. It kind of listed them all the same way, which made me decide for myself what to focus on. I had to pick the arguments I thought were key and then find evidence to back them up.

Furthermore, the students were asked to support their arguments with evidence from the academic literature, necessitating a thorough evaluation and critical analysis of the information. This process led them to make informed decisions and formulate solutions. In their reflective journals, students documented a cautious approach, emphasizing the need not to simply accept information as it is presented. Instead, they highlighted the importance of thoroughly evaluating the information’s accuracy. Amir similarly addressed this issue, noting his necessity to independently navigate the “thinking part” and acquire the skills to construct strong arguments or effectively employ academic resources: The chat didn’t really help me figure out what’s important and what’s not when I write. It also didn’t teach me how to make strong arguments or how to use academic stuff to back up my points.

User experiences with ChatGPT

This category refers to the qualitative data related to participants’ overall experiences, perceptions, and attitudes towards interacting with ChatGPT. The theme of user experiences is divided into three sub-themes: Time Efficiency using ChatGPT; Accessibility and Availability of ChatGPT; and User-Friendly Dynamics . Overall, analysis of the students’ reflective journals reveals broad agreement about ChatGPT’s user-friendliness and ease of use. Many students noted the chatbot’s intuitive interface and straightforward functionality, which made it accessible to those who may not be tech-savvy. This consensus highlights the effectiveness of ChatGPT as a tool that simplifies information acquisition and supports learning without the typical complexities associated with advanced technological tools.

Time efficiency using ChatGPT

In this sub-category, analysis of the student journals revealed the major time-saving benefits of using ChatGPT for various tasks. ChatGPT successfully eliminated the need for students to sift through numerous sources of information. By providing a straightforward way to understand a concept, grasp its implications, and gather information on complex dilemmas, ChatGPT demonstrated its efficiency in saving students’ time. Riad mentioned the significant time efficiency gained from using the tool, highlighting how it saved him considerable time: You can find out a lot about all sorts of things really quickly. The chat gives you detailed breakdowns and explanations, sorting everything into different arguments and topics; it saves you a lot of time.

Ali also referred to this point: I was not very familiar with the details of accreditation, including its benefits and challenges, but within minutes I was able to grasp its essence and understand the importance of the whole process.

The time efficiency extended not only to data retrieval and collection but also encompassed information synthesis, significantly reducing the amount of time usually required for comprehensive and coherent processing and reformulating of acquired data. Mai observed that the time saved was also because she didn’t need to search for data across multiple sources and combine it together:

The amount of time I save is insane. If I had to search for this stuff on the internet instead of using the chat, it would take me way longer to find an answer. And even after finding it, I’d have to summarize what I found and then rephrase it in my own words, which takes so much time.

Accessibility and availability of ChatGPT

A majority of the students noted that the tool’s immediate accessibility and availability significantly facilitated the personalization of learning approaches. This customization seamlessly interfaced with the unique scheduling needs of each learner, offering flexibility that in traditional learning settings is typically constrained by external factors or intermediaries. Hana highlighted ChatGPT’s anytime, anywhere accessibility through a simple interface, enabling quick and comprehensive responses without the wait for expert assistance: ChatGPT is available to use anytime, anywhere using a simple and convenient interface. This would allow you to get a quick and comprehensive response at any time of the day, without having to wait around for people or experts to help you out.

Lina similarly noted: It’s pretty great how available it is (as long as it’s not too busy…). Any question I have, I get an answer. It saved me a lot of Google searches and reading articles and stuff. I get a quick and clear answer to everything I ask and it’s all super fast.

ChatGPT Information credibility

This category involves instances where participants discuss the credibility, reliability, and trustworthiness of the information provided by ChatGPT. Analysis of the reflective journals showed that interaction with ChatGPT facilitated students’ ability to acquire fundamental knowledge, which could then be expanded upon through subsequent inquiries and verification. Nevertheless, as students proceeded in their tasks, particularly those that required articulating arguments and substantiating their stances on complex dilemmas, they acknowledged the limitations of relying solely on ChatGPT. These limitations focused primarily on concerns about the tool’s credibility in providing sufficiently authoritative information. In this regard, Ofri appreciated ChatGPT’s quick access to information but expressed concerns over its credibility and occasional inaccuracies, leading to unexpected disappointment:

I have found that ChatGPT has a lot of good points. It can quickly give you a lot of information on so many topics and you can really use that information. But I have also learned that this tool has its drawbacks. It is not always right, and it certainly doesn’t always give you things that are based on solid academic facts. Sometimes ChatGPT just makes things up. To be honest, realizing this was a bit of a shock to me.

Students also noted that they were often faced with an overwhelming amount of information, some of which was irrelevant or incorrect, requiring them to evaluate the information and determine its quality. Dalia noted that while ChatGPT provided extensive information initially, aiding in learning about the topic, it also required discernment to distinguish between accurate and less relevant information: In the first stage, the chat gave us a lot of information, which was great because it helped us learn more about the topic. But at the same time, we had to decide which information was really important and accurate and which wasn’t.

Students’ understanding of the limitations of relying solely on the information provided to justify arguments and articulate positions in dilemmas motivated them to examine and assess its reliability. They did so by asking specific questions and consulting established academic references. From the students’ point of view, this careful research and critical evaluation process not only provided them with the opportunity to refine their powers of critical thinking and analysis, it also equipped them with the capacity to critically evaluate the credibility of the information presented. Lina wrote:

I attempted to back up the info I found with academic sources, but then I figured out that the chat isn’t always reliable…. I went through each article that I got results from…to check where is it from, and whether the author actually existed or was just made up… After that, I did another check with other databases. This whole process made me super cautious and thorough in checking everything.

The students expressed unanimous agreement that the need to assess the information provided by the chat forced them to be critical and use evaluation skills. Not only was this a skill they needed to be able to put to good use. It also constituted a challenge in using ChatGPT, as Limor stated that, contrary to reducing critical thinking, proper use of ChatGPT can enhance it by prompting users to reconsider and verify information, despite the challenge:

It might seem that using ChatGPT would make you think less because, well, it’s like chatting to a robot. But actually, if you use it properly and really get into it, it adds a lot to your knowledge and makes you think more broadly and deeper. This is because it makes you think about things over and over again, and double-check the information… it wasn’t easy.

Challenges and barriers in Working with ChatGPT

This category encompasses the various obstacles, difficulties, and limitations encountered by participants while using ChatGPT, including technical issues, comprehension challenges, and frustration. The analysis suggests that despite the students’ widespread agreement on the advantages of using ChatGPT, such as its ease of use, constant availability, and user-friendliness, its accompanying challenges should also be considered. Among these challenges are hesitation in adopting new, cutting-edge technology, difficulties in learning how to use the tool, and language barriers. The language issue was particularly significant, as ChatGPT operates mainly in English, which is not the first language of many of the students. Shir faced difficulties with English translation but viewed it as an opportunity to improve language skills, eventually becoming more comfortable with the chat and reducing reliance on outside translation help:

One big problem I had was writing in English and then translating it to express what I wanted to say. But I decided to take it on as a challenge and use it as a chance to improve my reading and writing in English. Since we didn’t have to use English much, at first it felt like it took forever to understand or read stuff. But gradually, we got the hang of the chat and didn’t need as much help with translating from outside sources.

Some students noted that they also faced some technical issues, revealing the downside of depending exclusively on online tools for studying. For many students, this was their first time using AI including applications like ChatGPT that are built on large language models. As they continued to use it, however, they became more accustomed to it. Ali found initially accessing the GPT chat difficult and, despite its ease of use, experienced issues with site access due to high traffic and occasional freezing, hindering continuous use:

When I first tried the GPT chat for my task, it was a bit tough to get onto the site. But after a while, I noticed that even though the chat is easy to use, it’s got its problems. Sometimes, you can’t even get into the chat because too many people are trying to use it at the same time, and other times, it just freezes up, and you can’t keep using it.

Mastering ChatGPT-Prompting competency

This category involves instances where participants demonstrate proficiency in formulating effective prompts and questions to elicit accurate and relevant responses from ChatGPT. Analysis of the reflective journals revealed that this theme posed a notable challenge for the students, primarily due to their unfamiliarity with the tool. Indeed, they needed to learn how to use the chat effectively to elicit the correct responses and achieve their desired outcomes. Additionally, they encountered challenges in ensuring accuracy and setting the right parameters to establish a reliable and precise database. Despite these obstacles, the students recognized that their efforts to achieve accuracy and their practice of asking repetitive questions were instrumental in developing higher-order thinking skills and being able to organize and manage the required information proficiently. Liya related to this challenge by noted that dealing with inaccurate responses from the model involves clarifying questions with more details, considering alternative answers, and emphasizing the importance of verifying the information received:

Sometimes the model may give you wrong information or answers… to cope with getting answers that are not accurate, you should make your question clearer and add more details. Also think about using different choices of answers. And it is really important to always check the answers you’re getting.

Analysis of the reflective journals showed that systematic demonstration of these activities, along with comprehensive detailing of early learning stages and the cumulative nature of the tasks, provided students the chance to assess and revisit each step retrospectively. This reflective review allowed them to seek explanations for any aspects that were unclear, ask more questions and craft more targeted prompts, and gain a deeper understanding of the entire process. Rim, for example, explained: The chat lets us get information in a series, like being able to ask another question to get a better understanding or clear up something from the first questions we asked. This helped us keep track of everything by linking all our questions together.

Nir noted that the need to aim for accuracy by repeatedly refining the questions really helped in dealing with the assigned tasks effectively:

From my experience with ChatGPT, I have learned that if you want good answers, you have to be really clear about what you are asking. You need to know what you want to achieve with the chat. It is best to give specific instructions to obtain the exact info you need. Also, you should think carefully about the answers you get, making sure the facts are right, and using your own thinking to make wise decisions.

This qualitative study examined the process of introducing and using a pedagogical framework that integrates problem-based learning with the use of ChatGPT among undergraduate healthcare management students. The study also provided a qualitative exploration of their experiences using this technology and assessed how the use of ChatGPT can shift the focus from traditional digital literacy skills to advanced AI literacy skills. It demonstrated how the use of the ChatGPT platform can be managed to encourage the development of critical thinking and evaluation skills through active student engagement. These skills are considered critical for learning and working with AI platforms.

The analysis of students’ reflective journals indicated a perception of the platform as user-friendly. Minichiello et al. [ 54 ] expand the definition of “user experience” beyond mere interaction with user interfaces to include design, information presentation, technological features, and factors related to emotion, personal connection, and experience. Students described their experience with the platform positively, citing it as an incentive for ongoing engagement.

The analysis also showed that the platform’s efficiency was significantly influenced by its high availability and accessibility, which were key factors in its attractiveness to users. This attractiveness was further enhanced by its ease of use. A critical aspect of the platform’s effectiveness was its efficiency in providing key materials in a timely manner, drastically reducing the time required to retrieve information. Users particularly appreciated this aspect of the platform as it streamlined their access to information and significantly improved their learning efficiency. The platform’s ability to deliver relevant information quickly and efficiently was instrumental in its positive reception. In an academic environment where efficient time management and quick access to educational materials are essential, the platform’s ability to meet these needs effectively constituted a notable advantage.

However, students noted initial difficulties and obstacles in utilizing ChatGPT, primarily related to data credibility. These challenges, highlighted in the qualitative data, necessitated the application of critical thinking and conducting various checks to verify the information received. This concern over the credibility of information from AI tools aligns with observations by Mohamad-Hani et al. [ 55 ], who reported similar credibility issues with ChatGPT data among healthcare professionals.

Another significant challenge for the students focused on how to retrieve relevant and accurate information. To this end, they had to refine their question formulation to extract the most relevant and accurate data from the tool. Such challenges have increasingly become a focus of academic attention due to the emerging recognition of the importance of developing prompting skills for effective interaction with platforms such as ChatGPT and other AI tools [ 19 , 20 ].

In terms of digital literacy skills, the findings of this study suggest that basic literacy skills such as locating, retrieving, synthesizing, and summarizing information may become less important as AI systems improve. Yet students still must be trained to evaluate and think critically about AI tools and what they can accomplish, especially since AI technologies like ChatGPT are not always completely trustworthy. Therefore, students need to learn how to evaluate the information these tools provide. These findings also offer some support for the notion that while digital literacy is undeniably recognized as crucial for the 21st century, especially in the healthcare arena [ 36 , 45 ], the definition of digital literacy is changing as technological tools develop. For decades, education focused on developing basic skills. Over time, however, there was a shift toward the cultivation of more complex skills involving information evaluation, synthesis, and assessment [ 56 , 57 ]. Yet as AI continues to penetrate everyday life, there has been a noticeable evolution in the forms of literacy required.

This evolution marks a transition from traditional data digital literacy, which emphasizes a basic understanding and processing of information, to AI digital literacy, which goes beyond mere data consumption to include using digital tools skillfully, understanding the nature of digital content, and effectively navigating the complex digital landscape. This shift reflects the changing demands of a technology-driven society, in which digital literacy is becoming increasingly essential for both personal and professional development [ 58 ]. As AI becomes integrated into different dimensions of work and daily life, especially in the healthcare industry, AI digital literacy will continue to evolve to meet the new demands. This will require a different set of skills, including prompting skills that allow users to better interact with AI tools [ 19 , 20 ].

These results highlight the importance of rethinking the educational use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, potentially leading to changes in future learning curricula. Without the ability to use digital tools, students are liable to fall behind when it comes to adapting to new technologies, thus limiting their ability to learn key skills. Therefore, AI tools must be taught and used in a way that supports students’ holistic learning. These findings align with those of other researchers who focus on the use of the AI platform in education [ 40 , 42 , 43 ]. Such an approach will ensure that students are prepared for the evolving challenges and opportunities of our increasingly digital world. This is especially important in the medical education field, as AI is increasingly being used in different ways to improve the accuracy of disease diagnosis, treatment strategies, and prediction of patient outcomes [ 9 , 10 , 25 , 27 ].

Given that AI technology is still developing and is anticipated to advance and become more widely used [ 21 , 22 ], the need to adapt and acquire new literacy skills is growing. As AI evolves, reliance on traditional basic skills may decline over time, underscoring the importance of learning how to effectively utilize and interact with emerging technologies. Learning to engage with AI tools such as ChatGPT from an early stage in their education can greatly enhance students’ learning experiences. This early exposure will not only provide them with a deeper understanding of these tools. It will also boost their motivation to learn how to use them more effectively, thus highlighting the importance of training students to handle such technologies proficiently. Equally important is the need to guide students through these learning processes to ensure they acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate and utilize AI tools successfully in their educational journey [ 11 ].

Limitations and future research directions

This study utilized a pedagogical framework that integrates problem-based learning with the use of ChatGPT. While the researcher focused on the pedagogical aspect, future research is warranted to compare this digitally supported activity to a non-digital equivalent and examine the impact on students’ literacy and skills. Such a comparison would make it possible to assess what the digital instrument contributes to skill development and to identify any challenges encountered.

The use of this tool across different teaching methods could also be explored to determine whether it is particularly effective for certain types of tasks or requirements. The current study focused on health management. Implementation of this teaching approach in other academic areas should be examined to assess its effectiveness in acquiring competencies in different arenas. The findings of this study highlight the need for further research into the use of AI in learning environments that focus on goal-oriented pedagogy. Such research can help in developing educational strategies that promote the skills essential for lifelong learning.

Conclusions and recommendations

In conclusion, revisiting the research questions in the context of our findings highlights the transformative potential of integrating ChatGPT with problem-based learning in healthcare management education. This study underscores how such integration not only shifts the focus from traditional digital literacy to advanced AI literacy skills but also enhances critical thinking and evaluation capabilities among students. These competencies are indispensable as AI continues to reshape the landscape of healthcare and medical education. AI is emerging as a transformative force that will fundamentally change the global landscape. Although we are still in the early stages of integrating and understanding AI capabilities, its potential to shape our future is clear. Adapting to this digital transformation, especially in healthcare, is crucial [ 4 , 6 ].

Integrating AI into healthcare systems poses significant challenges and raises many unanswered questions [ 9 , 10 ]. These issues require careful consideration and strategic planning to maximize benefits while addressing implementation complexities. The extent and impact of these transformations on the health system and its workforce remain uncertain. However, it is crucial to prepare for these changes at both individual and organizational levels. Educational institutions must update their teaching methods to meet digital demands, recognizing the critical role of educators in developing effective support strategies.

To enable healthcare professionals to integrate AI tools effectively, these tools should be introduced early in education, such as during undergraduate studies or initial professional training [ 9 , 32 , 33 ]. Hands-on experience allows learners to build confidence and understand the tools’ limitations. Additionally, AI tools and especially LLMs such as GPT and their applications, including platforms like ChatGPT, can serve as user-friendly and efficient learning aids, as demonstrated in this research. In addition, researchers should strive to develop innovative pedagogical methods for integrating these tools into different curricula, as exemplified here by the effective use of dilemma-based learning enhanced by ChatGPT. These studies should focus on determining which skills will become redundant and on highlighting essential competencies needed for AI literacy, including prompting, evaluation skills, and critical thinking, all of which are essential for effectively integrating AI and LLMs into medical education and daily practice. Participants in such studies have noted that the acquisition of such skills, particularly in the area of effective prompting, significantly improves the quality of AI responses. Similar to learning a new language, learning to use AI requires precise phrasing and an in-depth understanding of context. Not only will AI skills improve student engagement and comprehension, they will also encourage critical thinking, leading to better educational outcomes. Students who formulate well-structured search queries obtain more accurate responses from AI, which are critical to improving healthcare and learning outcomes.

It is therefore imperative that academia and higher education institutions, including medical education institutions, adopt methods for effectively guiding and training students in using AI. This approach is essential to address the evolving global educational landscape and to embrace the shift in roles. Educators should move from being primarily providers of knowledge to being facilitators of cultural understanding and skill development. Such a shift is essential to promote the transformative evolution of the role of educators in the modern educational context.

Availability of data and materials

Data are available upon request from the Corresponding author.

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How to Write a Bibliography, With Examples

You spent the past six hours grinding out your latest paper, but finally, it’s finished. It’s late, you’re exhausted, and all you want to do is click “Submit Assignment” and then get some sleep. 

Not so fast. If your paper doesn’t have a properly formatted bibliography, it’s not finished. 

A bibliography is a list of all the sources you consulted while writing your paper. Every book, article, and even video you used to gather information for your paper needs to be cited in your bibliography so your instructor (and any others reading your work) can trace the facts, statistics, and insights back to their original sources. 

Give your paper extra polish Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly

What is the purpose of a bibliography? 

A bibliography is the list of sources a work’s author used to create the work. It accompanies just about every type of academic writing , like essays , research papers , and reports . You might also find a brief, less formal bibliography at the end of a journalistic piece, presentation, or video when the author feels it’s necessary to cite their sources . In nearly all academic instances, a bibliography is required. Not including a bibliography (or including an incomplete, incorrect, or falsified bibliography) can be considered an act of plagiarism , which can lead to a failing grade, being dropped from your course or program, and even being suspended or expelled from your school. 

A bibliography accomplishes a few things. These include:

• Showing your instructor that you conducted the necessary research for your assignment 
• Crediting your sources’ authors for the research they conducted
• Making it easy for anybody who reads your work to find the sources you used and conduct their own research on the same or a similar topic

Additionally, future historians consulting your writing can use your bibliography to identify primary and secondary sources in your research field. Documenting the course information from its original source through later academic works can help researchers understand how that information has been cited and interpreted over time. It can also help them review the information in the face of competing—and possibly contradictory or revisionary—data. 

In nearly all cases, a bibliography is found at the end of a book or paper. 

What are the different kinds of bibliographies?

Different types of academic works call for different types of bibliographies. For example, your computer science professor might require you to submit an annotated bibliography along with your paper because this type of bibliography explains the why behind each source you chose to consult.

Analytical bibliography

An analytical bibliography documents a work’s journey from manuscript to published book or article. This type of bibliography includes the physical characteristics of each cited source, like each work’s number of pages, type of binding used, and illustrations. 

Annotated bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a bibliography that includes annotations, which are short notes explaining why the author chose each of the sources. Generally a few sentences long, these notes might summarize or reflect on the source. 

An annotated bibliography is not the same as a literature review . While a literature review discusses how you conducted your research and how your work fits into the overall body of established research in your field, an annotated bibliography simply explains how each source you used is relevant to your work. 

Enumerative bibliography

An enumerative bibliography is the most basic type of bibliography. It’s a list of sources used to conduct research, often ordered according to specific characteristics, like alphabetically by authors’ last names or grouped according to topic or language. 

Specific types of enumerative bibliographies used for research works include:

National bibliography

A national bibliography groups sources published in a specific region or nation. In many cases, these bibliographies also group works according to the time period during which they were published. 

Personal bibliography

A personal bibliography lists multiple works by the same individual author or group of authors. Often, personal bibliographies include works that would be difficult to find elsewhere, like unpublished works. 

Corporate bibliography

In a corporate bibliography, the sources are grouped according to their relation to a specific organization. The sources can be about an organization, published by that organization, or owned by that organization. 

Subject bibliography

Subject bibliographies group works according to the subjects they cover. Generally, these bibliographies list primary and secondary sources, whereas other types of enumerative bibliographies, like personal bibliographies, might not. 

Other types of bibliographies

In some cases, it makes sense to use a bibliography format other than those listed here. These include:

Single-author bibliography

This type of bibliography lists works by a single author. With certain assignments, like an essay comparing two of an author’s books, your bibliography is a single-author bibliography by default. In this case, you can choose how to order the sources, such as by publication date or alphabetically by title. 

Selected bibliography

A selected bibliography is a bibliography that only lists some of the sources you consulted. Usually, these are the most important sources for your work. You might write a selected bibliography if you consulted a variety of minor sources that you didn’t end up citing directly in your work. A selected bibliography may also be an annotated bibliography. 

How is a bibliography structured? 

Although each style guide has its own formatting rules for bibliographies, all bibliographies follow a similar structure. Key points to keep in mind when you’re structuring a bibliography include:

• Every bibliography page has a header. Format this header according to the style guide you’re using.
• Every bibliography has a title, such as “Works Cited,” “References,” or simply “Bibliography.”
• Bibliographies are lists. List your sources alphabetically according to their authors’ last names or their titles—whichever is applicable according to the style guide you’re using. The exception is a single-author bibliography or one that groups sources according to a shared characteristic. 
• Bibliographies are double-spaced.
• Bibliographies should be in legible fonts, typically the same font as the papers they accompany.

As noted above, different kinds of assignments require different kinds of bibliographies. For example, you might write an analytical bibliography for your art history paper because this type of bibliography gives you space to discuss how the construction methods used for your sources inform their content and vice-versa. If you aren’t sure which kind of bibliography to write, ask your instructor. 

How do you write a bibliography?

The term “bibliography” is a catch-all for any list of sources cited at the end of an academic work. Certain style guides use different terminology to refer to bibliographies. For example, MLA format refers to a paper’s bibliography as its Works Cited page. APA refers to it as the References page. No matter which style guide you’re using, the process for writing a bibliography is generally the same. The primary difference between the different style guides is how the bibliography is formatted. 

The first step in writing a bibliography is organizing all the relevant information about the sources you used in your research. Relevant information about a source can vary according to the type of media it is, the type of bibliography you’re writing, and your style guide. Determine which information you need to include about each source by consulting the style guide you’re using. If you aren’t sure what to include, or if you’re not sure which style guide to use, ask your instructor. 

The next step is to format your sources according to the style guide you’re using. MLA , APA , and the Chicago Manual of Style are three of the most commonly used style guides in academic writing. 

MLA Works Cited page

In MLA format , the bibliography is known as the Works Cited page. MLA is typically used for writing in the humanities, like English and History. Because of this, it includes guidelines for citing sources like plays, videos , and works of visual art —sources you’d find yourself consulting for these courses, but probably not in your science and business courses.

In MLA format, books are cited like this:

If the cited book was published prior to 1900, is from a publisher with offices in multiple countries, or is from a publisher that is largely unknown in the US, include the book’s city of publication. Otherwise, this can be left out. 

Scholarly articles are cited in this format: 

• Author(s). “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical, Day Month Year, pages.

APA References page

In APA format —the format typically used in psychology, nursing, business, and the social sciences—the bibliography page is titled References. This format includes citation instructions for technical papers and data-heavy research, the types of sources you’re likely to consult for academic writing in these fields. 

In APA format, books are cited like this:

Digital object identifier (DOI).

(issue  number) , article’s page range (i.e., 10-15). URL.

Chicago Manual of Style

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) permits authors to format bibliographies in two different ways: the notes and bibliography system and the author-date system. The former is generally used in the humanities, whereas the latter is usually used in the sciences and social sciences. 

Both systems include guidelines for citations on a paper’s body pages as well as a bibliographic list that follows the paper. This list is titled Bibliography.

In CMoS, books are cited like this:

publication.

number  (year published): page numbers of the article (i.e., 10-15).

Bibliography FAQs 

What is a bibliography.

A bibliography is the list of sources a work’s author used to create the work.

What are the different kinds of bibliographies? 

There are many different kinds of bibliographies. These include:

• Enumerative bibliographies
• Annotated bibliographies
• Analytical bibliographies

How do you write a bibliography for different style guides?

Each style guide publishes its bibliography guidelines online. Locate the guidelines for the style guide you’re following ( Chicago Manual of Style , MLA , APA ), and using the examples provided, format and list the sources for your work. 

• Applying For Scholarships

Writing Tips for a Career Goals Essay (2023)

Jennifer Finetti Mar 1, 2023

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For your college scholarship essay, you may be asked about your career goals. The scholarship committee wants to see how investing in your education will help your career. Do you have a definitive plan? Will a college education fit into that plan? These are the answers they want to see.

In this guide, we will provide some scholarship essay examples about career goals to jumpstart your essay writing.

Writing tips for career goals scholarship essays

Here are some quick tips for writing career goal scholarship essays:

• Write about career goals that tie into the scholarship. This doesn’t mean you have to lie about your career goals to make them fit. Find a way to relate them to the scholarship committee or other elements of the scholarship.
• Be precise about your career goals. Avoid vague statements that suggest you do not have a plan. Judges like to see determination because it shows they’re making a worthy educational investment.
• Discuss how your education will help you achieve your career goals. The scholarship will assist with your education. Show a connection between the two so they can see why you deserve this scholarship.
• If you mention multiple goals, indicate which one you feel most strongly about. Longer essays may allow you to mention a backup plan, but the committee needs to see where your focus lies.
• Avoid cliché statements. Describe how your specific talents, experiences, and degree pursuits will help you succeed.
• Point out solutions, not problems. You may mention struggles you’ve had in the past, but pinpoint how you will learn from them. Moreover, show how those struggles led to your career goals.
• Organize your thoughts in a fluid manner. This will most likely be in chronological order, starting with your degree and progressing through your career growth.
• Write, revise, rest, revise. This goes for any essay writing. Write the first draft from start to finish. Then read through it and edit any grammar or flow errors. Take a break, preferably overnight, and then re-read your content with fresh eyes.

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Example 1: Scholarship essay about career goals (100 words)

In a 100-word scholarship essay, you need to quickly make your point. There is not enough room for a lengthy intro or backstory. Use concise, comprehensive statements to deliver the most information in the fewest words.

I’m a sophomore at Texas Tech University, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Companion Animal Science. After graduation, I hope to attend Texas A&M to become a veterinarian serving rescue organizations and animal shelters. I was born and raised in the south, where it is common for people to abandon animals in rural areas. Those animals then go into a rescue – emaciated, frightened, and confused. I want to work with rescues to provide affordable veterinary medicine to the animals they save. This scholarship would help me continue my education and potentially save thousands of abandoned animals in the future.

Word count: 99

Example 2: Scholarship essay about career goals (250 words)

With a 250-word scholarship essay, you have a little more room to discuss the details of your career goals. You can explain situations from your past that inspired your career pursuits. You could use one paragraph to talk about your short-term goals and another to talk about your long-term goals. Just make sure the big picture ties into the scholarship.

My name is Patrick Holden and I am a freshman at the University of Michigan, majoring in English and minoring in linguistics. I plan to become an English teacher, but this wasn’t always what I had in mind.  When thinking about my future, I always saw myself in some sort of corporate office, perhaps as an executive assistant or a loan officer at a bank. My father works in the finance office for a car dealership and my mother works at a call center. I assumed I would follow a similar, albeit boring, path in life. In my junior year of high school, everything changed. My English teacher inspired me in ways I could have never imagined. She got me to love writing, literature, etymology, and everything about the English language. She made me want to be a better student in all of my classes, and she helped me see the value of education. I decided then that I wanted to inspire other students just as she did for me. My parents are unfortunately not able to contribute much toward my college expenses. I have earned a tuition scholarship based on my ACT score, but I still need additional funding for books and supplies. English majors have particularly high book costs because we have to purchase multiple books for each class. With the help of this scholarship, I could afford to continue my degree and become an English teacher.

Word count: 240

Example 3: Scholarship essay about career goals (500 words)

With 500 words or more to play around with, you have plenty of space to talk about your career goals. Maintain the same theme throughout the scholarship essay. Each paragraph should connect to the next, and they should all work together to describe your career plan. Avoid making disconnected statements for the sake of word count. In the end, the scholarship committee should have a clear view of your educational plans and professional aspirations.

Internet marketing has gone from an optional method of advertisement to a vital step in business outreach. Even small businesses in remote towns look to the internet to attract customers and spread the word about their services. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing with an emphasis on Digital Marketing. With this training, I will be able to enter a profession that will only grow year by year. When I was younger, I found print advertisements to be fascinating. I loved reading the newspaper with my father just to see the full-page ads in between stories. When I got older though, those ads became less appealing because they were not adaptive. They seemed dated, static and ill-fit for changes in society. That’s when I discovered internet marketing. It was still in its infancy when I was in middle school, but by the time I graduated high school, it had become a staple in business development. I loved the way internet marketers had to constantly adjust to fit Google’s algorithms, new mobile devices, and new audiences. I knew this was the career for me. Originally, I planned to focus solely on business marketing because there were not many digital marketing degrees available. Over the last two years though, several schools throughout the country have developed internet marketing courses that explain fundamental methods of search engine optimization, website analytics, and more. These are the foundations I will build my career around. The best part about internet marketing is that there is always something new to learn. I can use my creative mind and exploratory nature to try new advertising methods that help businesses succeed. Every time they do well, I do well. This is the kind of job fulfillment most people can only dream of, but my educational plan and job prospects will allow me to achieve it. I have picked up some freelance jobs online to supplement my studies and help pay for my education. It is difficult to maintain a steady stream of income in freelance because I spend so much time on my school work. This scholarship could offset some of the costs and reduce my workload as a whole. While I will still work throughout the semester and full-time in the summers, having extra financial aid would greatly reduce my stress in college. I look forward to a future where I can use my marketing skills to help business owners achieve their career goals. I plan to spend the first few years after graduation working for a successful, long-standing digital marketing company. After I have enough on-the-job training to feel confident in my abilities, I will open my own internet marketing company in Chicago, where my family lives. I have a clear picture of where I will be in the next 10 years, and I know this degree is going to help me get there.

Word count: 481

• Scholarship Essay

Jennifer Finetti

As a parent who recently helped her own kids embark on their college journeys, Jennifer approaches the transition from high school to college from a unique perspective. She truly enjoys engaging with students – helping them to build the confidence, knowledge, and insight needed to pursue their educational and career goals, while also empowering them with the strategies and skills needed to access scholarships and financial aid that can help limit college costs. She understands the importance of ensuring access to the edtech tools and resources that can make this process easier and more equitable - this drive to support underserved populations is what drew her to ScholarshipOwl. Jennifer has coached students from around the world, as well as in-person with local students in her own community. Her areas of focus include career exploration, major selection, college search and selection, college application assistance, financial aid and scholarship consultation, essay review and feedback, and more. She works with students who are at the top of their class, as well as those who are struggling. She firmly believes that all students, regardless of their circumstances, can succeed if they stay focused and work hard in school. Jennifer earned her MA in Counseling Psychology from National University, and her BA in Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz.

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