2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Practical exposure for students in the realm of construction management topics is frequently limited due to the challenges associated with visiting real-world projects, be it due to logistical complexity, project size, or their physical locations, often underground or high above the ground. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications present a valuable tool to help students contextualize these topics. While the development of generative AI has been ongoing for several decades, its significance in higher education, particularly in engineering disciplines like Civil Engineering, has grown in recent years. This study aims to investigate how generative AI can be employed to enhance the development of critical thinking skills among students specializing in water resources and sanitary engineering. In this study, students were tasked with initiating a video prompt and using ChatGPT application to summarize the video's main points. The activity involved interactions with the AI app, posing questions and receiving responses, which aimed to foster critical thinking abilities. The types of questions asked were guided by the professor to lead students to a deeper level of critical thinking. Subsequently, students provided feedback on their perceptions of the activity through a survey. Data analysis involved the examination of student responses and their interactions with the AI app, assessing the depth of their critical thinking. The study included a sample of 28 senior students from Construction Management course and 25 junior students from Construction Costs majoring in Civil Engineering from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ. The study also explores potential factors contributing to the observed outcomes and suggests ways in which academia can integrate these results into their teaching approaches. It concludes by discussing the implications for both research and practical application.