Academics from the School of Medicine and the School of Health Systems and Public Health represented the University of Pretoria at the Asia-Pacific Conference on Educational Technology from April 24-28, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan.

Dr. Yvette Hlophe’s research, Enhancing Critical Thinking Assessment in Medical Education, explores how large language models like GPT-4 can revolutionise medical training. Her findings suggest that AI-generated feedback aligns closely with human evaluations and often provides superior formative guidance, offering promising prospects for reducing academic workload while boosting student learning outcomes.

Prof. Liz Wolvaardt spoke on designing engaging online programs, while Prof. Sean Patrick offered an in-depth review that integrated educational theory with the latest technological advancements. Dr. Mari van Wyk explored the impact of virtual reality in public health education.

Presenting at the IAFOR’s international academic forum provided valuable exposure to a global academic audience. The team also had the opportunity to visit the University of Tokyo, where they explored potential collaborative initiatives.