2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

While generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has the potential to enhance learning through better access to information, it also challenges many of our traditional educational methods. The emergence of GenAI has left educators grappling with the need to adapt while also finding ways to integrate GenAI skills, critical thinking, and ethical awareness into their courses. In this study we investigated the use of GenAI to generate information on engineering ethics case studies and integrate GenAI into a course. First, we examined whether GenAI could produce comprehensive case studies as compared with the case studies from our course textbook. We then introduced review of GenAI-generated case studies into an engineering and computer science ethics course to emphasize critical thinking and awareness of GenAI issues. We found that GenAI was effective in producing basic information about well-known case studies but lacked the technical detail, ethical analysis, and professional judgment that was evident in the textbook case studies. When prompted, GenAI could provide information on environmental and societal concerns that were lacking in the textbook. In reviewing the GenAI-generated case studies, students reported increased confidence in their ability to recognize GenAI text and judge it for bias based on pre- and post-assignment surveys. While continued integration of GenAI into coursework is essential for developing graduates who can critically evaluate GenAI and use it effectively, the textbook remains a valuable resource for the course. Future steps include new assessments to better address the myriad of ethical issues introduced by GenAI.