Exploring artificial intelligence literacy and the use of ChatGPT and copilot in instruction on nursing academic report writing

Background: Nursing education increasingly emphasizes academic writing and communication, critical for delivering quality patient care and professional advancement. Rapidly emerging artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot are transforming educational methodologies, and a focus is being placed on embedding AI literacy to effectively bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical practice. These technologies have the potential to reshape nursing education in a technology-driven health-care landscape. Aim: This study investigated the effectiveness of AI literacy and the application of ChatGPT and Copilot in academic nursing report writing. It assessed the level of AI literacy of nursing students, examined the integration of basic AI concepts into a curriculum, and analyzed the impact of these tools compared with traditional teaching methods. Methods: The study adopted a sample of 203 senior nursing students from Southern Taiwan to compare an AIenhanced teaching approach using ChatGPT and Copilot with conventional methods. The curriculum, centered on the "Writing Case Reports and Seminars" course, employed the Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate model and incorporated scaffolding techniques to synergistically integrate clinical skills with academic learning. AI literacy was measured using the Meta AI Literacy Scale (MAILS). Summative assessments, adhering to the Taiwan Nursing Association standards, focused on individual and group case report evaluations. Findings: Following an 18-week AI intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in all dimensions of the MAILS. A ChatGPT usage of 100 % was found, with a notable enhancement discovered in the "Nursing Plan" section of case reports. Although the experimental group outperformed the control group in overall case report evaluations, the connections between identified problems and proposed plans were weaker and nursing interventions tended to be less individualized for the experimental group. Conclusions: The incorporation of AI tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot into a scaffolding teaching framework significantly boosted students' AI literacy and performance in summative assessments. Effective AI training for students, supervised use of these tools, and continuous professional development for educators are paramount to successful implementation. Addressing the current limitations of AI has the potential to further improve academic writing, foster critical thinking, and ensure responsible application in patient care, ultimately leading to higher-quality and more effective nursing education.