Reflections From the Pandemic: Is Connectivism the Panacea for Clinicians?

Authors

Jennifer Benjamin
Tyson Pillow
Heather MacNeill
Ken Masters
Anoop Agrawal
Neil Mehta

Publication Date

12-3-2024

Journal

Journal of Medical Internet Research

DOI

10.2196/53344

PMID

39625749

PMCID

PMC11653038

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

12-3-2024

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-Print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

COVID-19, Humans, Pandemics, Artificial Intelligence, Health Personnel, SARS-CoV-2, Social Learning, learning theory, learning framework, connectivism, panacea, COVID-19, generative artificial intelligence, GAI, health care community, clinician, health care, airborne disease, learning, information, misinformation, autonomy, diversity

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the recent increased interest in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) highlight the need for interprofessional communities' collaboration to find solutions to complex problems. A personal narrative experience of one of the authors compels us to reflect on current approaches to learning and knowledge acquisition and use solutions to the challenges posed by GenAI through social learning contexts using connectivism. We recognize the need for constructivism and experiential learning for knowledge acquisition to establish foundational understanding. We explore how connectivist approaches can enhance traditional constructivist paradigms amid rapidly changing learning environments and online communities. Learning in connectivism includes interacting with experts from other disciplines and creating nodes of accurate and accessible information while distinguishing between misinformation and accurate facts. Autonomy, connectedness, diversity, and openness are foundational for learners to thrive in this learning environment. Learning in this environment is not just acquiring new knowledge as individuals but being connected to networks of knowledge, enabling health professionals to stay current and up-to-date. Existing online communities with accessible GenAI solutions allow for the application of connectivist principles for learning and knowledge acquisition.