It’s Not Just About the Tools: Emotionally Responsive GenAI Education

APPLY THE FAIR FRAMEWORK
Familiarization	Guided, low-stakes exploration of tools. Compare 2 tools; prompt: “What surprised you? What felt uncomfortable?”
Application	Apply GenAI to real, contextual tasks. “Think of a task you need to complete as part of your job. How can you use GenAI for it?”
Interpretation	Reflect on ethical, pedagogical, and contextual implications. “Identify risks (bias, hallucinations, privacy, learner dependence) and mitigations in your context.”
Recalibration	Iterate based on peer feedback and evolving understanding. Include an identity-oriented reflection and next-step plan.
APPLY EMOTIONALLY RESPONSIVE DESIGN
Establish Emotional Safety	Use transparent rubrics, low-stakes exploratory tasks, and explicit normalization of discomfort. Provide feedback that validates emotional responses and reframes uncertainty as expected. Name identity threat as expected, not as a deficiency.
Model Instructor Vulnerability	Disclose your own use of GenAI in course design, narrate your learning process, and demonstrate uncertainty openly. This vulnerability disrupts hierarchy and invites co-learning. Disclose your own GenAI use and limits; adopt a co-learning stance.
Build Learner Agency	Offer choice among assignment tracks; require learners to use materials from their own professional contexts; position them as experimenters rather than novices. Self-selected use case.
Close With Identity Reflection	Prompt learners to articulate how their perceptions shifted and how they plan to continue engaging with GenAI in their roles. “How has my role shifted, and who will I support next?”

Table 2

Themes and Quotations.

THEME	EXEMPLAR QUOTATION
Emotional safety	“Now, having been gently and supportively introduced into this world… I feel like I have something of a foothold to explore.”
Hands-on experience and Learner choice of tasks	“I used ChatGPT to create a simulation we’re running next week… This was immediately useful.”
Reflection	“Reflecting on these experiences allowed me to better understand the concerns associated with bias, hallucinations, legal implications”
Recalibration	“I aim to refine the GPT further and study its application in various health professions settings.”
Moving from apprehension to confidence	“I started off afraid and felt like I didn’t belong here… now I’m eager to explore more.”
Helpful tool	“I now have an AI partner in curriculum design—even when no one else is available.”
Awareness of ethical tensions	“I still feel conflicted” and “I worry about the critical thinking skills of students who lean too heavily on AI.”
Continued use	“I’ve joined an AI work group… we’re trying to think about how we implement this across clinical, academic, and administrative roles.”
Empowering peers	“As an educator and voice in medical ethics, I feel a responsibility to help others navigate AI thoughtfully.” “I shared it with my colleagues, and they were like, ‘This is awesome.’ We use it now to summarize long emails, draft lesson plans. We’ve started teaching others how to use it.”
Leading change	“I now feel responsible to lead change—not just keep up with it.”