Jennie De Gagne , professor and director of the School of Nursing's nursing education specialty, is passionate about incorporating AI into nursing education in an ethical way that is aligned with the values required of nurses. De Gagne has facilitated global conversations on AI among nurse educators, created resources to ensure that nursing-specific AI tools are widely accessible, and experimented with AI in her teaching.
In an interview on School of Nursing, De Gagne described one classroom exercise that tested whether educators could correctly identify AI-generated text. Participants each wrote an empathetic message to a fictional student group disappointed by a grade, and then had AI write a parallel one. Both messages were posted unlabeled, and classmates guessed which was human.
Below are the two messages. Can you guess which is AI and which is human-generated?
Response A
Hello Group 4 Student-Colleagues,
I saw your posts and felt a little pang in my chest because I know exactly how much heart you poured into this project. Those late-night Canva sessions, the back-and-forth on the discussion board, that demo video you scripted and reshot until it felt just right; none of that effort was lost on me. You created something vibrant and useful, and the class genuinely enjoyed learning from you. I smiled watching the playback because your energy came through the screen.
The rubric slip happened, and yes, it cost you points in two areas. Here is the silver lining: this assignment carries only 15% of the total grade, so the 85/100 translates to a tiny 2.25-point dip in your final score. You still have oceans of room to shine, and I am confident you will. … You are talented, resilient future educators, and I am proud to be your professor. This is a speed bump, not a wall.
With warmth and belief in each of you,
Dr. D
Response B
Hello Group 4 Student-Colleagues,
First of all, I want to applaud your teamwork on this challenging assignment, not necessarily because of the concept itself, but because, as working nurses balancing professional and academic responsibilities, completing a team project is no small feat. You've demonstrated strong collaboration and dedication, and I commend you for submitting the project on time.
As reflected in your rubric scores, you met the majority of the criteria successfully. You did a great job incorporating graphics and a demo video, which were both creative and innovative. However, one of the criteria, specifically inclusivity considerations and technology integration, was omitted, perhaps due to a misinterpretation of the expectations. I understand that, as future nurse educators, projects like this are valuable opportunities to learn that even with significant effort, outcomes can vary when group dynamics come into play. …Thank you for your continued hard work and contributions to our learning community.
Dr. D
Answer: Response B is the human one; Response A is AI.
It was hard for participants to tell the difference. "What the exercise revealed wasn't a lack of experience. Some of our most experienced participants guessed wrong, and so did two of the three AI models I tested," said De Gagne. "It exposed an untested assumption: that effusive emotion sounds human and measured professionalism sounds like a machine. Familiarity with AI matters, but the more durable habit is checking our assumptions before we judge, whether we are reading, teaching or practicing."
For more on what AI can offer nursing education, check out the full interview on School of Nursing .
