Dr. Thomas Prola, a professor and researcher at the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO), participated on October 8th and 9th in the 3rd International Conference on Innovative, Sustainable, and Inclusive Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (docencIA), where he presented, virtually, several papers on research initiatives led by the university.
Designing for Diversity: A Model for Sensitive Nutrition Education Using Chatbots, Virtual Patients, and Service-Learning in Angola
This paper presents the model developed as part of the European Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) “Simulation-Based Training and Digital Technologies Combined with a Service-Learning Approach for Experiential and Reflective Learning in Nutrition and Dietetic Education” (MAHINE) for the practical training of nutritionists in Angola, from the perspective of context-sensitive and diversity-oriented nutrition education.
The MAHINE model is based on five pillars: experiential learning, reflective practice, simulation, artificial intelligence, and service-learning. Their program combines chatbots and virtual patients with hands-on and community-based experiences, allowing students to practice nutritional interviews, assessment, professional reasoning, communication, and decision-making in simulated situations before working in real-world settings.
Inclusion is a cross-cutting principle of the model. Diversity is incorporated right from the design stage of the case studies and virtual patients, with an effort to represent the different ages, social conditions, family backgrounds, nutritional situations, dietary practices, and cultural realities found in Angola. In this way, the chatbot ceases to be merely a technological tool and becomes a training ground for intercultural competence and context-specific nutrition communication.
The presentation is available at this link.
