2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper provides an experience report on a new course covering cyberspace and emerging technologies for non-STEM majors. The class explores using case studies, combined with hands-on learning activities that incorporate generative AI, to prepare students to excel in an era of rapid technological change. The course emphasizes the importance of adapting to innovation cycles and using disruptive technologies to gain competitive advantage – while also fostering an understanding of ethical responsibility. By collaborating with and leveraging generative AI, students are encouraged to experiment, explore, and innovate, equipping them with the confidence and strategic mindset to evaluate and integrate emerging technologies. This approach develops future tech-savvy professionals who are inclined to adopt technology early, adapt at the speed of innovation, and leverage these capabilities ethically to gain a competitive edge.

The course is structured as a series of modules, each investigating a technology. A module begins with a case study that both motivates the need to study that technology and demonstrates the underlying principles of the course. The module continues with a series of hands-on learning experiences that give students an appreciation of the inner-workings of the technology as well as reinforcing the notion that the barrier to entry is lower than they might have imagined. The fact that the learning experiences require that they team with generative AI to build technological products helps the students get to a product faster and reinforces their comprehension of the concepts behind the technology. Collectively, all of the case studies reinforce several common themes, one of which is that those who adopt an emerging technology early and find novel ways to employ it tend to have an advantage. Another important theme is that there is no guarantee that any given innovation or new technology will remain superior. Therefore, it is stressed to the students that they must continuously assess and look for new ways to apply a given technology, as well as adapt to new uses and other technologies. The collective set of modules and the repetitive experimentation with different technologies build student confidence, preparing them to experiment and explore unknown technologies in the future.

The paper is organized as follows. The first section will discuss the overarching principles and themes that are introduced at the start of the course and revisited throughout the semester. We will then detail the series of case studies and hands-on learning activities employed to reinforce these concepts. Next, we will highlight key points such as how the case studies and activities emphasized the significance and rapid pace of technological change while building students’ confidence and critical thinking skills in exploring and teaming with technology. Data supporting the efficacy of the approach will be provided in the form of instructor observations, student surveys conducted throughout the course, and student performance on key graded events. Finally, we will conclude by discussing how this course structure can be adapted for a variety of course constituencies and outline potential future directions for the course.