2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Exploring the Role of Generative AI in Developing Durable Skills: An Exploratory Literature Review

The rapid advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) presents both opportunities and challenges for engineering education, particularly in fostering durable skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, communication, and collaboration. While AI-driven tools have the potential to transform educational methodologies, empirical evidence on their effectiveness in skill development remains limited.
This exploratory literature review synthesizes existing research to examine GenAI's role in fostering durable skills in engineering education. The review evaluates key insights, challenges, and gaps in the adoption of AI-driven tools, highlighting ethical, pedagogical, and practical considerations. Findings reveal that while GenAI tools offer personalized learning, adaptive feedback, and interactive engagement, their widespread adoption is hindered by faculty resistance, lack of technical training, fairness concerns, and the absence of standardized evaluation frameworks.
By analyzing the current landscape, this study provides practical recommendations for integrating GenAI into engineering curricula, emphasizing the need for faculty development programs, interdisciplinary research collaborations, and ethical implementation frameworks. Additionally, it identifies critical research gaps, calling for longitudinal studies, AI literacy frameworks, and cross-disciplinary investigations to assess the long-term impact of GenAI on skill development.
This review contributes to the ongoing dialogue on AI's role in engineering education, offering insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers. By ensuring a balanced approach that leverages GenAI’s capabilities while safeguarding human-centric education, this study aims to inform policy, drive future research, and optimize GenAI's potential in preparing students for an AI-integrated world.

Authors

Trini Sofia Balart Texas A&M University [biography]

Trini Balart is a PhD student at Texas A&M University. She completed her Bachelors of Science in Computer Science engineering from Pontifical Catholic University of Chile . She is currently pursuing her PhD in Multidisciplinary Engineering with a focus in engineering education and the impact of AI on education. Her main research interests include Improving engineering students' learning, innovative ways of teaching and learning, and how artificial intelligence can be used in education in a creative and ethical way.
Sidney Katherine Uy Tesy Texas A&M University [biography]

Sidney Katherine Uy Tesy is a second-year student at Texas A&M University's College of Arts and Sciences, where she is pursuing a degree in Philosophy and Sociology (BA) and a minor in Psychology. She is a recipient of an Undergraduate Glasscock Scholarship, which has allowed her to engage in qualitative research on digital ethics, mobile apps, and social stigma, working alongside one her faculty mentors. Her research interests focuses on the intersection of technology and social institutions that concern education and legal systems.
Dr. Kristi J. Shryock Texas A&M University [biography]

Dr. Kristi J. Shryock is the Frank and Jean Raymond Foundation Inc. Endowed Associate Professor in Multidisciplinary Engineering and Affiliated Faculty in Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. She also serves as Director of the Craig and Galen Brown Engineering Honors Program. She received her BS, MS, and PhD from the College of Engineering at Texas A&M. Kristi works to improve the undergraduate engineering experience through evaluating preparation in areas, such as mathematics and physics, evaluating engineering identity and its impact on retention, incorporating non-traditional teaching methods into the classroom, and engaging her students with interactive methods.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025