Ethical Concerns And Responsible Use Of Generative Artificial Intelligence In Engineering Education

The use of educational technologies that use elements of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming common across the engineering education terrain. With the wide adoption of generative AI based applications, this trend is only going to grow. Not only is the use of these technologies going to impact teaching, but engineering education research practices are as likely to be affected as well. From data generation and analysis, to writing and presentation, all aspects of research will potentially be shaped. In this practice paper we discuss the ethical implications of the use of generative AI technologies on engineering teaching and engineering education research. We present a discussion of potential and futuristic concerns raised by the use of these technologies. We bring to the fore larger organizational and institutional issues and the need for a framework for responsible use of technology within engineering education. Finally, we engage with the current literature and popular writing on the topic to build an understanding of the issues with the potential to apply them in teaching and research practices

Ethics is a disempowered subject in the engineering curriculum

Power, as enacted in educational practices, is a critical issue that shapes all aspects of engineering education. Yet, there is little research within engineering education on how power manifests itself in what we teach and how we teach it. In this paper we use engineering ethics education as an exemplar to interrogate how power tacitly influences the practice of engineering ethics education. To infer the status of engineering ethics as an academic subject we examine, theorize, and elaborate on two aspects of power: (1) the internal power relations affecting the education of engineering ethics and how they manifest within engineering institutions, and (2) the exerting power of key external actors in and ways in which they impact engineering ethics education. Our methodological approach relies on autoethnographic data rooted in the perspective of the three authors. The autoethnographic cases are grounded in the authors’ own teaching and research practices in engineering ethics education set in the US, Irish and Dutch context. We perform a cross-comparative analysis to reflect further on the impact of power relations on ethics as an academic subject and make recommendations for engineering ethics education research and practice

Ethics is a disempowered subject in the engineering curriculum

Power, as enacted in educational practices, is a critical issue that shapes all aspects of engineering education. Yet, there is little research within engineering education on how power manifests itself in what we teach and how we teach it. In this paper we use engineering ethics education as an exemplar to interrogate how power tacitly influences the practice of engineering ethics education. To infer the status of engineering ethics as an academic subject we examine, theorize, and elaborate on two aspects of power: (1) the internal power relations affecting the education of engineering ethics and how they manifest within engineering institutions, and (2) the exerting power of key external actors in and ways in which they impact engineering ethics education. Our methodological approach relies on autoethnographic data rooted in the perspective of the three authors. The autoethnographic cases are grounded in the authors’ own teaching and research practices in engineering ethics education set in the US, Irish and Dutch context. We perform a cross-comparative analysis to reflect further on the impact of power relations on ethics as an academic subject and make recommendations for engineering ethics education research and practice