Examining Students’ Beliefs on the Use of ChatGPT in Engineering
- Conference
- Location
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Portland, Oregon
- Publication Date
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June 23, 2024
- Start Date
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June 23, 2024
- End Date
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July 12, 2024
- Conference Session
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Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 22
- Tagged Division
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Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/47373
Paper Authors
Mohammad Faraz Sajawal University of Oklahoma
Javeed Kittur
University of Oklahoma
orcid.org/0000-0001-6132-7304
Dr. Kittur is an Assistant Professor in the Gallogly College of Engineering at The University of Oklahoma. He completed his Ph.D. in Engineering Education Systems and Design program from Arizona State University, 2022. He received a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a Master’s in Power Systems from India in 2011 and 2014, respectively. He has worked with Tata Consultancy Services as an Assistant Systems Engineer from 2011–2012 in India. He has worked as an Assistant Professor (2014–2018) in the department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, KLE Technological University, India. He is a certified IUCEE International Engineering Educator. He was awarded the ’Ing.Paed.IGIP’ title at ICTIEE, 2018. He is serving as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Engineering Education Transformations (JEET).
He is interested in conducting engineering education research, and his interests include student retention in online and in-person engineering courses/programs, data mining and learning analytics in engineering education, broadening student participation in engineering, faculty preparedness in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of learning, and faculty experiences in teaching online courses. He has published papers at several engineering education research conferences and journals. Particularly, his work is published in the International Conference on Transformations in Engineering Education (ICTIEE), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Computer Applications in Engineering Education (CAEE), International Journal of Engineering Education (IJEE), Journal of Engineering Education Transformations (JEET), and IEEE Transactions on Education. He is also serving as a reviewer for a number of conferences and journals focused on engineering education research.
Abstract
An Open Artificial Intelligence language model called Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) was developed by engineers. This kind of AI system produces text responses that resemble those of a human being in response to a variety of prompts and inquiries. A few benefits of ChatGPT are its round-the-clock assistance, prompt question answering, ability to locate research-related material, ability to write code, etc. Despite these benefits, ChatGPT may provide inaccurate or irrelevant results due to its limited contextual understanding of a given topic. Feedback that is unfair or erroneous may result from bias in the data that was used to train the program. Regrettably, ChatGPT may be susceptible to security flaws that could result in data breaches and the disclosure of students' private information.
In a parallel study, a survey instrument is designed and developed to assess engineering students’ perceptions on the use of ChatGPT. This study aims at answering the following research question, ‘How do students housed in engineering programs perceive the use of ChatGPT’? To answer this research question, a survey instrument was designed with a few open-ended questions, and the survey instrument also collected participants’ demographic information. The open-ended questions included in the survey are (1) Describe the different words (as many as you can) that come to your mind when you think about ChatGPT? (2) How do you see ChatGPT evolving in the future and what impact do you think it will have on education? (3) What ethical considerations should be considered when using ChatGPT in an educational setting? and (4) Can ChatGPT promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students? Why?
The responses were coded using NVivo to examine the perceptions of engineering students using ChatGPT. A total of 269 responses were included in the analysis. The responses revealed diverse viewpoints on the future of ChatGPT in education, examining its potential impact on teaching and learning. While advancements are anticipated, ethical concerns like privacy, academic integrity and equitable access surfaced as significant issues. Opinions on ChatGPT’s role in boosting critical thinking and problem-solving varied, with some optimistic about its potential and others wary of its limitations in fostering true intellectual growth. Overall, the findings highlight the intricate interplay between technological innovation, ethical considerations, and educational outcomes in the context of integrating AI in education.
Sajawal, M. F., & Kittur, J. (2024, June), Examining Students’ Beliefs on the Use of ChatGPT in Engineering Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47373
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