STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES FROM USING AI IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Year: 2024
Editor: Grierson, Hilary; Bohemia, Erik; Buck, Lyndon
Author: Heimdal, Anette; Lande, Ingrid; Almlie, Gunvor Sofia; Roaldsøy, Eline Øverbø
Series: E&PDE
Institution: University of Agder, Norway
Page(s): 497 - 502
DOI number: 10.35199/EPDE.2024.84
ISBN: 978-1-912254-200
ISSN: 3005-4753
Abstract
Over the past year AI has become highly available for everyone, including students in higher education. Initially, the universities did not want the students to use AI in their examinational projects due to the fear of reducing the amount of independent work. It is also difficult for examiners to evaluate the difference between self-produced work and AI-produced work. However, AI is a resourceful tool that could be useful for the students learning and the products they produce. Hence, we want to find out the positives and negatives of AI in engineering education. A mandatory course, ING101 Technology, Environment and Sustainability, is taught the first year in the Civil and Structural Engineering programme, Computer Engineering programme, Electronics and Electrical engineering programme, Renewable Energy programme and Mechatronics programme at the University of Agder. The students must write a scientific article concerning environment and technology to pass the course. The library and the academic staff collaborated on a new way of solving the task; the students had the opportunity to use AI to produce the scientific article and then write a report on how it worked. The students must evaluate how this affected the working process, their learning outcome and the final product, the scientific report. This study uses survey data from the students in ING101 to investigate the positive and negative perceptions of using AI in engineering education. By looking at the results from the survey and the reported experiences from the students we can evaluate how AI can assist in higher education. This information can be used to influence the way we let our students work on projects, reports, and exams, and if AI should be(come) a learning tool in engineering education.
Keywords: Engineering Education, Survey, ChatGPT