Developing students' GenAI literacy with hackathons

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Facilitated by academic staff from the Faculty of Medical Sciences and the Institute of Education (IOE), our project explored innovative ways of incorporating GenAI into formative assessments through a student hackathon. Our primary aim was to see how students would use GenAI to support both oral and written work. We also wanted to see if we could align teaching and assessment methods alongside GenAI effectively.

An overview of the AI-Hackathon

The hackathon, funded by a small education grant from the Competition for Funding Education Enhancement (CofFEE!) initiative, brought together students to explore the integration of GenAI language models into assessments. Ten level six and seven students engaged in the hackathon. Divided into teams of two, each pair had to complete a series of tasks. We started with an introduction to GenAI and primary tools such as Chat-GPT, Google Bard, Evidence Hunt and Tome. We administered pre- and post-hackathon questionnaires to gauge participants' attitudes towards GenAI and their prior experience with it.

What did we task them with?

Task A - Topic selection. Students chose between investigating the causes of obesity or exploring the health implications of being an elite athlete.

Task B - Public belief. Teams researched public perceptions and beliefs regarding their chosen topic.

Task C - Scientific evidence. Participants delved into scientific literature to understand expert opinions on the chosen topic.

Task D - Comparing tasks B and C. Students compared their findings from the public beliefs and scientific evidence.

Task E - Report writing. Each group crafted a 500-word scientific report based on their research findings, adhering to referencing guidelines.

Task F - Presentation. Teams prepared a three-minute presentation targeted at a lay audience, accompanied by visuals.

Data collection

Throughout the hackathon, we collected data on how students approached each task, including their utilisation of GenAI tools. We used a brief questionnaire to capture details on GenAI usage, tool effectiveness, and accuracy of information provided. Each group submitted prompts used during their tasks.

Judging and evaluation

At the end of the day, each group presented their work and judges assessed the written scientific summaries (submitted anonymously) and the lay communication pieces. Evaluation criteria covered literature searching, knowledge and understanding, critical appraisal, scientific communication, lay communication, and visual representation. Marks were provided for both the document and presentation aspects.

Overall, the team of both students and staff reflected that the combination of GenAI + critical thought is likely to generate highly engaging and innovative assessments. It was a permissive environment where students could explore and use different GenAI tools without any pre-determination or imposed process. It allowed students a ‘space’ to present a range of techniques and think more comparatively about its use, from deliberate deepfakes, to offering structure and critical thinking for example, how can it save me time and improve the quality of my work within the allocated time?

You can see a more in depth break down of the hackathon day here.

AI-Hackathons as educational tools

We already know that a good student will produce a good piece of work…but if we can provide them with additional skills, teach them what tools are available, how to write prompts and how to use these tools effectively, then this could enable them to produce something very creative and exciting. And it can add real value to what they’re delivering - Dr Flaminia Ronca, Associate Professor (Teaching).“

Student Engagement and Creativity

Hackathons utilising GenAI provide a hands-on, safe interactive environment that encourages active participation, creativity and critical thinking. Students can work intensively on solving real-world problems, applying theoretical knowledge in practical scenarios. This breaks the monotony of traditional lectures and fosters a dynamic learning atmosphere which facilitates staff-student collaboration. 

Teamwork and learning by doing

These events promote teamwork, communication and interdisciplinary collaboration. Learning-by-doing approach ensures that students gain practical experience and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Minimal resources, maximum impact

Organising an AI-Hackathon in your module requires minimal funding and organisation. Utilise existing spaces or leverage online platforms. A successful hackathon can be easily achieved within a couple of hours. 

Fun and educational

Hackathons are inherently enjoyable, fostering a fun learning environment for both students and staff. Students learn by experimenting, collaborating, and applying GenAI tools to real-world challenges. These events can be seamlessly embedded into any module, serving as both engaging activities and practical formative assessments.

Further reading

Four steps for integrating generative AI in learning and teaching, Times Higher Education.