2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Integrating ethical reasoning into Engineering Economy courses is increasingly vital as engineering education emphasizes professional responsibility alongside technical competency. This study introduces the Engineering Ethics Coach, a custom AI chatbot designed to support case-based ethical decision-making within an undergraduate Engineering Economy course. Trained on the NSPE Code of Ethics and tailored case materials, the chatbot provided students with interactive guidance and formative critique without revealing solutions. Twenty-five students engaged with the chatbot in a structured ethical analysis exercise. The study evaluated student engagement, ethical reasoning outcomes, and performance comparisons with a prior cohort taught using traditional methods. Students using the Engineering Ethics Coach demonstrated higher engagement levels, cited ethical codes more frequently, and exhibited greater depth in ethical reasoning—differences confirmed through both thematic analysis and statistically significant cohort comparisons. Survey feedback also revealed strong student perceptions of the chatbot’s role in fostering critical thinking and clarifying professional obligations. These results suggest that AI-supported tools, when thoughtfully designed and aligned with instructional goals, can enhance ethics education in engineering. Future work will explore refining chatbot interaction styles, expanding curricular integration, and adapting implementations across varied learning environments to support broader development of ethical decision-making skills.