About this trial
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test whether an AI-assisted design thinking workshop can improve empathetic communication in undergraduate nursing students at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does the workshop improve students' empathy, creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and patient-centred care attitudes?
How do students experience the design thinking and AI-supported learning activities?
Researchers will compare the intervention group with a wait-list control group to see whether the workshop leads to better outcomes.
Participants will:
complete a baseline questionnaire before the workshop;
be randomly assigned to receive the workshop now or later;
attend two tutorials in the intervention group, including design thinking activities and AI-simulated clinical scenarios;
complete a follow-up questionnaire after the workshop;
and, for some participants, join a short interview about their learning experience.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Undergraduate nursing students enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing programme at CUHK Nethersole School of Nursing.
Enrolled in the NURS 3127 course during the 2026-27 academic year.
Willing and able to provide verbal informed consent and participate voluntarily in the study.
Disqualifiers
Students with prior participation in design-thinking workshops.
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- AI-assisted design thinking workshop