Academic performance of large language models across an undergraduate physiotherapy curriculum: a subset analysis
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, cilt.1, sa.1, ss.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 1 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1038/s41598-026-68822-x
- Dergi Adı: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), BIOSIS, Chemical Abstracts Core, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals, Zoological Record
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1
- Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in physiotherapy for information retrieval, educational support, and assistance in assessment and rehabilitation-related decision-making. Although their performance has often been evaluated using isolated examinations or domain-specific question sets, less is known about how these models perform across the breadth of an undergraduate physiotherapy curriculum. This study examined LLM performance using a curriculum-based academic assessment framework reflecting how theoretical knowledge is formally evaluated in physiotherapy education. Written exams from a subset of 34 of 54 eligible courses within an undergraduate Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation program were analyzed. Two LLMs, GPT-5.0 and Claude 4.5 Sonnet, were queried using a standardized zero-shot prompting approach, and responses were graded according to official answer keys and institutional criteria. Course-level examination scores, letter grades, and cumulative grade point averages were calculated for standardized comparison. Under the institutional grading system, both models achieved passing-level performance, with GPT-5.0 reaching a mean total score of 85.7 ± 10.4 (GPA-equivalent: 3.28/4.00) and Claude 4.5 Sonnet a mean total score of 87.3 ± 11.2 (GPA-equivalent: 3.39/4.00), both satisfying the institutional graduation threshold; Claude 4.5 Sonnet showed modestly but significantly higher overall performance. Both models performed better in basic science courses than in clinically oriented courses. These findings suggest that LLMs perform well on knowledge-based assessments in undergraduate physiotherapy education, while revealing relative limitations in clinically integrated domains.