2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

As artificial intelligence (AI) tools become increasingly integrated into professional engineering practice, developing students’ ability to use these tools critically and responsibly is an emerging pedagogical priority. This Work in Progress paper describes the design and early implementation of a low-stakes, reflective assignment that promotes AI literacy within a first-year engineering design course at a large public university. The “Weekly AI Use Reflection” activity required students to post brief weekly reflections describing how they used AI in their coursework—such as for brainstorming design concepts, refining SolidWorks models, or developing research questions—and to evaluate the usefulness, accuracy, and ethical implications of the AI responses.

To encourage peer learning, each student also responded to a classmate’s post with constructive commentary or follow-up questions, creating an asynchronous dialogue about effective AI use in engineering contexts. Over ten weeks, students demonstrated increasing sophistication in how they applied AI for ideation, problem-solving, and technical communication. Instructor observations and preliminary thematic analysis of the reflections revealed that students moved from passive information-seeking to active metacognitive engagement, using AI as a collaborative design partner rather than a shortcut.

This work in progress presents the structure, grading rubric, and implementation logistics for this scalable, IRB-exempt classroom practice, along with initial findings illustrating growth in students’ AI literacy and ethical awareness. The paper concludes with plans for continued data collection and future integration of reflective AI activities into broader engineering curricula.