Abstract:

ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer) stands as a sophisticated language model developed by OpenAI, proficient in generating human-like responses based on natural language inputs. It serves as a valuable resource for students, offering information and guidance on a wide range of topics. ChatGPT is able of composing essays, addressing short-answer questions, crafting tables, and executing mathematical calculations, among others. To effectively use ChatGPT, students need to understand the chemical principles they want an answer for, know how to ask the appropriate question, and then analyse the ChatGPT outputs.

This study seeks to assess the influence of ChatGPT on the interest, analytical thinking, and academic progress of second-year Pharmacy Degree students of Chemical Analysis subject at the University of Valencia (Spain). For this purpose, students, divided in small groups (2-5 students), used ChatGPT as a virtual learning assistant to help them in formulating multiple-choice questionnaires focused on topics related with the subject (such as calibration, titration, sample treatment, etc.). After exploration of various prompts, students selected the most appropriate questions suggested by ChatGPT in alignment with their comprehension level and the concepts explained by professor in class. A subset of these questions was chosen by the professor, being passed to all the students to evaluate their understanding. Subsequently, participants were invited to provide feedback via a satisfaction survey encompassing various facets of their learning experience. The outcomes indicated that most of the students perceived the activity positively, regarding it as a constructive educational experience that enriched their understanding of the subject.

Keywords:

Artificial intelligence, Chemistry Education, Critical thinking, Evaluation, Student-Centered Learning, Undergraduate, Web-Based Learning.