2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In-Service STEM Teachers’ AI Conceptual Change through Hardware-based Edge AI Activities (Fundamentals)

Presented at Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE) Technical Session 2: Computer Science Education and Teacher Development

Enhancing access to educational and computational resources is critical to fostering innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, teachers’ misconceptions and limited access to hardware resources, especially in rural or under-resourced areas, often impede effective AI education. Common misconceptions include viewing AI solely as ChatGPT, assuming AI requires cloud computing, believing AI devices are prohibitively expensive, overestimating financial motivations of AI engineers, and perceiving AI as inherently unethical due to potential job loss. Addressing these barriers benefits from hands-on engagement with AI in ways that are accessible, low-cost, and pedagogically meaningful.
To address common teacher misconceptions about AI, this qualitative study investigates how hands-on activities with low-cost, hardware-based Edge AI boards can support conceptual change in K-12 STEM teachers. Grounded in conceptual change theory and postphenomenology, the research analyzes the experiences of nineteen in-service teachers during a six-hour professional development workshop, with a specific focus on seven selected participants. During the process in which teachers interact with an Edge AI learning board with an ESP32 microcontroller, breadboard, a battery, five sensors, and an OLED monitor, data was collected through pre-surveys to identify their initial conception about AI, researcher observations, and the teachers' curriculum implementation plans. Hands-on activities included comparing both non-AI and AI-integrated learning board using Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and Edge Impulse. Teachers reviewed the AI workflows including data collection, model training, and on-device inference, connecting embedded microelectronics to AI decision-making.
The findings indicate that direct interaction with the hardware engaged teachers in cycles of alterity, seeing the technology as a quasi-other, and hermeneutic relations. The analysis of their implementation plans revealed clear evidence of multistability, where teachers adapted the single Edge AI board for diverse and context-specific purposes within their own teaching subjects. This may indicate a shift from their initial, narrower conceptions of AI to a broader, more applied understanding in terms of AI’s role. The study suggests that experiential, hardware-based professional development may deepen teachers' conceptual understanding and support meaningful classroom integration of AI.

Authors

Woorin Hwang http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7260-3431 University of Florida [biography]

Woorin Hwang is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Technology at the University of Florida. Her research is focused on integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning, with ongoing projects related to AI literacy, Internet of Things (IoT), and engineering education. Prior to joining the University of Florida, Ms. Hwang worked as a teacher and instructional designer in South Korea, where she led several projects in learning content design and the development of educational systems.
Clelia Perez-Medina University of Florida [biography]

Clelia Perez-Medina is a Ph.D. student in Educational Technology at the University of Florida and a Fulbright Scholar. She holds a Master’s degree in Marketing and Advertising, a specialization in Consumer Psychology, and a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. With over ten years of academic experience, she has taught marketing courses at several universities in Colombia. From 2022 to 2024, she served as Director of Graduate Programs in Consumer Psychology. Her current research focuses on ethics in artificial intelligence in education, particularly on ethical frameworks and their application within educational contexts.
Yessy Eka Ambarwati http://orcid.org/https://0009-0002-3547-5869 University of Florida [biography]

Yessy Eka Ambarwati is a Fulbright Scholar and Research Associate at the University of Florida, pursuing a Master’s in Educational Technology. Her research centers on AI hardware-based learning and game-based instructional design in STEM education, with contributions to an NSF-funded project on microelectronics and Edge AI curriculum development.
Anany Sharma University of Florida
Andrea Ramirez-Salgado http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-0001-2672 University of Florida [biography]

Andrea Ramirez-Salgado is an Instructional Assistant Professor in Engineering Education at the University of Florida, where she teaches courses in artificial intelligence and data science. Her research examines how instructional practices shape students’ identities in engineering and computer science, and how these
identities affect their career goals and persistence. She is particularly committed to creating inclusive, engaging learning environments that support diverse learners.
Dr. Pavlo Antonenko [biography]

Pavlo "Pasha" Antonenko is a Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Florida. His interests focus on the design of technology-enhanced learning environments and rigorous mixed-method research on the uses and effects of technology-enhanced learning.
Lauren Eutsler University of North Texas [biography]

Dr. Lauren Eutsler is an Associate Professor of Learning Technologies and Director of the Texas Center for Educational Technology at the University of North Texas. Her research examines technology integration, artificial intelligence, and literacy in K–16 learning environments. She currently co-leads a NSF-funded project that engage teachers and students in hands-on STEM and AI learning through microelectronics and engineering design.
Dr. Swarup Bhunia

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology
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