2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

An Open Artificial Intelligence language model called Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) was developed by engineers. This kind of AI system produces text responses that resemble those of a human being in response to a variety of prompts and inquiries. A few benefits of ChatGPT are its round-the-clock assistance, prompt question answering, ability to locate research-related material, ability to write code, etc. Despite these benefits, ChatGPT may provide inaccurate or irrelevant results due to its limited contextual understanding of a given topic. Feedback that is unfair or erroneous may result from bias in the data that was used to train the program. Regrettably, ChatGPT may be susceptible to security flaws that could result in data breaches and the disclosure of students' private information.

In a parallel study, a survey instrument is designed and developed to assess engineering students’ perceptions on the use of ChatGPT. This study aims at answering the following research question, ‘How do students housed in engineering programs perceive the use of ChatGPT’? To answer this research question, a survey instrument was designed with a few open-ended questions, and the survey instrument also collected participants’ demographic information. The open-ended questions included in the survey are (1) Describe the different words (as many as you can) that come to your mind when you think about ChatGPT? (2) How do you see ChatGPT evolving in the future and what impact do you think it will have on education? (3) What ethical considerations should be considered when using ChatGPT in an educational setting? and (4) Can ChatGPT promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students? Why?

The responses were coded using NVivo to examine the perceptions of engineering students using ChatGPT. A total of 269 responses were included in the analysis. The responses revealed diverse viewpoints on the future of ChatGPT in education, examining its potential impact on teaching and learning. While advancements are anticipated, ethical concerns like privacy, academic integrity and equitable access surfaced as significant issues. Opinions on ChatGPT’s role in boosting critical thinking and problem-solving varied, with some optimistic about its potential and others wary of its limitations in fostering true intellectual growth. Overall, the findings highlight the intricate interplay between technological innovation, ethical considerations, and educational outcomes in the context of integrating AI in education.