2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Faculty Perspectives on Undergraduate Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) Assistance: A Work-in-Progress

Presented at Faculty Development Division (FDD) Technical Session 8

This work-in-progress paper explores faculty perspectives regarding student use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) assistance tools, such as ChatGPT, to complete engineering coursework. A common debate in engineering and computer science exists about how faculty should address GAI tools (i.e., prevent their usage in order to maintain academic integrity, teach students the new technologies, or establish regulatory guidelines in higher education). While GAI continues to disrupt traditional educational paradigms, its full impacts on teaching and learning are currently unknown. Such work is especially useful for fields such as engineering and computer science, whose work lies at the forefront of technological advancement and whose students more readily adopt new technologies into course tasks.

This paper discusses the preliminary findings of an intrinsic qualitative case study that answers the research question: How do engineering faculty perceive student use of GAI assistance in undergraduate course completion? Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with engineering and computer science faculty, including civil, mechanical, electrical, and biological engineering and computer science. As a result, this paper lays the groundwork for more extensive research in this domain and contributes to the broader discourse on the role of emerging technologies in shaping the future of engineering education.

Authors

Michaela Harper http://orcid.org/0009-0007-5985-8676 Utah State University [biography]

Michaela Harper is a doctoral student at Utah State University, pursuing a Ph.D. in Engineering Education. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies, focusing on STEM and non-traditional education approaches, and a Master's degree in Engineering Education, where she explored faculty perspectives on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI). Michaela's current research delves deeply into the effects of disruptive technologies on engineering education, driven by her passion for uncovering the foundational nature of phenomena and applying an exploratory and explanatory approach to her studies. Her work aims to illuminate how technological advancements reshape educational landscapes through student and faculty engagement.
Dr. Cassandra McCall http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-0240-432X Utah State University [biography]

Dr. Cassandra McCall is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Education Department at Utah State University (USU). Her research focuses on the intersections of disability, identity formation, and culture and uses anti-ableist approaches to enhance universal access for students with disabilities in STEM, particularly in engineering. At USU, she serves as the Co-Director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Transition Services. In 2024, Dr. McCall received a National Science Foundation CAREER grant to identify systemic opportunities for increasing the participation of people with disabilities in engineering. Her award-winning publications have been recognized by leading engineering education research journals at both national and international levels. Dr. McCall has led several workshops promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and other minoritized groups in STEM. She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering with a structural engineering emphasis.

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