. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Experiences with using an LLM-based Chatbot for a Multicultural Engineering Program Orientation (Experience)AbstractGiven the pace with which AI systems are being developed and used, there is a growing need formore guidance around the ethical use of AI. Due to the prominence of artificially intelligentsystems, future engineers need to be able to analyze the available AI models and makeresponsible choices critically. In the Fall of 2024, The Human in Computing and Cognition(THiCC) Lab collaborated with the Multicultural Engineering Program Orientation (MEPO) atPenn State to teach incoming engineering students about the responsible use of AI systems withthe help of an interactive
several premier journals, including the Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Higher Education, and Science and Engineering and Ethics. She is a contributing author to several books published by Oxford University Press, Teachers College Press, and University of California Press. She served as President for the Korean American Educational Researchers Association, including President in 2013-2014, and Chair of the KAERA Board of Directors in 2019-2020.Dr. Jerry Lynn Dahlberg Jr, University of Tennessee Space Institute Jerry Dahlberg is the Senior Director of Research at the University of Tennessee Space Institute. Prior to joining UTSI, he was an Assistant Teaching Professor and Senior Design Committee Chair at the
diverse student populations, whileindustry professionals will shed light on workplace barriers and initiatives designed to promoteinclusion. Ethical integrity is a cornerstone of this study, ensuring that all research activities areconducted responsibly and with respect for participants. Prior to data collection, approval will beobtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to guarantee compliance with ethical researchstandards. Participants were fully informed about the study's purpose, procedures, and their rights,including the voluntary nature of their involvement and the ability to withdraw at any time withoutrepercussions. Informed consent forms were provided and signed, emphasizing confidentiality andthe measures taken to protect
Ethics Pedagogy Can Accommodate Neurodivergent Students and Expose Ableist Assumptions," Building Inclusive Ethical Cultures in STEM, vol. 42, pp. 289-311, 2024.[36] M. Pilotte and D. Bairaktarova, "Autism spectrum disorder and engineering education - needs and considerations," in IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Erie, 2016.[37] J. L. Kouo, A. E. Hogan, S. Morton and J. Gregorio, "Supporting Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in Engineering: K-12 and Beyond," Jounral of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 1-21, 2021.[38] D. R. Delp, ""Where Resources End and Teaching Begins: Experience with Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Freshman Engineering Curriculum," in ASEE
craft professional resumes that highlight their academic achievementsand extracurricular experiences. Personal statement writing prepares them for interviews. Theprogram also offers sessions on study abroad opportunities, helping students navigate theapplication process and understand the benefits of global experiences. Workshops on academicstanding and academic integrity teach students how to monitor and maintain their academicperformance, as well as how to uphold ethical standards in their coursework. Degree auditworkshops help students with course selections for the upcoming semester, ensuring timelygraduation and helping with reserving courses for masters’ programs. These workshops areintegral to preparing students not only for their
Center (AI3C) in the School ofEngineering at The Citadel Military College. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded thecamp to broaden the participation of underrepresented minority girls in STEM. The goal was toinspire underrepresented minority middle school girls to close the STEM gap in South Carolinaby exposure to artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare. In the summer of 2024, this camphosted 16 middle school girls and one high school volunteer from 12 schools across threeneighboring school districts in the Charleston area. A team of 11 professors, administrators, andvolunteers facilitated the camp.Campers responded positively to the culturally responsive curriculum. The curriculumhighlighted AI awareness and ethics, programming AI
it opened in July and the CLT design of the building itself into appropriate2007. The original bridge on opening day in 1940 is shown in coursework. The Timber History Display has been integratedFigure 10, and the two newer bridges are shown in Figure 11. into ME Senior Capstone Design and content from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Display into both Engineering Ethics and ME Senior Capstone Design. As the second display has just been completed in early spring 2025, it is anticipated
projects—amandatory component of the curriculum—serve as a culminating academic experience thatrequires students to apply their technical knowledge and research skills to solve real-worldengineering problems [4]. These projects typically involve designing, analyzing, andimplementing engineering solutions while considering various constraints such as feasibility, cost,and sustainability. Integrating principles of economic, environmental, social, ethical, and healthand safety sustainability into capstone projects prepares students to meet the demands of theengineering profession. This approach aligns with the Accreditation Board for Engineering andTechnology (ABET) criteria, which emphasizes graduates' ability to “design a system, component,or
Action Research informed our analysis,allowing continuous refinement based on emergent data.The study adheres to ethical research standards, ensuring informed consent, participantconfidentiality, and IRB approval.FindingsThis study provides insights into the collective perspectives of program and policy leaders onimproving transfer pathways for historically marginalized engineering students. The followingthemes emerged from our analysis:Academic Preparation and Course Alignment: Participants emphasized the need for structuredacademic initiatives, including: • Strengthening math curricula through faculty collaboration • Developing joint faculty task forces to align course content • Implementing early intervention models, such as
engineering and social science, focusing on understanding how innovation self-efficacy develops among engineering students with diverse neurotypes. Additionally, she investigates household resilience capacity in relation to sustainable practices, employing both quantitative and qualitative research methods.Dr. Angela R Bielefeldt, University of Colorado Boulder Angela Bielefeldt is a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) and Director of the Engineering Education Program. Her research interests in engineering education include community engagement, ethics, and sustainability. Bielefeldt is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering
into engineeringand STEM fields. Thus, it is important to explore in which ways critical consciousness can beadded to engineering programs.In engineering education, there have been some recent efforts to increase critical thinking andsocial awareness with mixed results. When critical consciousness projects have been added tosome engineering curricula, research has shown that students still struggle to fully consider thebroader ethical implications of their work [17, 18]. Despite the various approaches thatresearchers have utilized, such as journal writing [19], integrating critical literacy approaches[18], user-centered design projects [10], and multi week course projects [4] there are stillquestions about how to better prepare engineering
ethical imperative, and empowering individuals who would otherwise not be ableto fully engage in STEM increases our national potential to advance science and solve real-worldproblems. In this paper, we share a conceptual framework that seeks to define the “interruptions”experienced by Black women in STEM as they navigate undergraduate STEM programs. Ourframework, grounded in Black feminist epistemologies, is informed by two years of datacollected from surveys, interviews, focus groups, reflective journals, and audio diaries of fortyBlack women undergraduates at three institutions of higher education. This frameworkilluminates the relationship between societal power structures, Black women’s STEM self-concept, and selected coping strategies
careers in EmTechfields. Figure 3. REP Scholars Program Activities.TechUp Space Series: REP collaborated with industry professionals from underrepresentedgroups to discuss about the role of AI, including ethical and responsible use, as well as cloudcomputing in the workplace, focusing on applications, practical tips, and implications.Additionally, the #IamRemarkable workshops empowered participants with self-promotion skillsand career-building strategies [15]. One workshop is offered each major term.EmTechConnect: MDC faculty with industry experience serve as mentors to REP scholars,providing guidance on academics, career planning, and personal development [16], [17]. Eachprogram concentration is paired with a dedicated
science is separate from the scientists involved. (Mejia &de Paula, 2019). Moreover, the false notion of objectivity presents science and engineering asapolitical and neutral, influencing students in the U.S. to believe that science and engineeringdesign are devoid of social, ethical, and political contexts. The concept of objectivity can lead topsychological conflicts, such as feelings of alienation for those raised in different cultures (Cajete,2020). Thus, teaching science exclusively from a Western perspective may negatively impactstudents. While Western science has potential drawbacks, Indigenous communities understand theimportance of integrating Western and Indigenous knowledge (Cajete, 2020). Some engineeringeducation researchers also
Paper ID #45952”I cannot relate”: The Importance Socioeconomic Status in the Journeys ofWomen of Color in Academia (Research)Dr. Angela R Bielefeldt, University of Colorado Boulder Angela Bielefeldt is a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) and Director for the Engineering Education program. She researches topics such as engineering ethics, sustainability, social responsibility, and community engagement. Bielefeldt is a Fellow of the ASEE and a licensed P.E. in Colorado.Sheila Davis, University of Colorado Boulder