EngE-AI: A GenAI-augmented Tool to Enhance Engineering Education in Cultivating Critical Thinking

TitleEngE-AI: A GenAI-augmented Tool to Enhance Engineering Education in Cultivating Critical Thinking
Faculty/College/UnitApplied Science
StatusActive
Duration2 Year
Initiation04/01/2025
Project Summary

This project develops a generative artificial intelligence tool, called EngE-AI, which is designed to address key teaching and learning needs in engineering education. EngE-AI can be customized for any course and offers three main features: generating context-rich real-world troubleshooting scenarios, guiding students through critical thinking based on Facione’s model via text-based interactions, and acting as a virtual tutor. For educators, EngE-AI saves tremendous time by automating the creation of effective questions in addition to supporting the explicit teaching of critical thinking. For students, it provides access to additional real-world practice problems, a virtual tutor available anytime-anywhere, and scaffolded development of critical and global (as opposed to sequential) thinking skills. EngE-AI aims to modernize engineering education by significantly improving teaching efficiency, providing context-rich real-world problems, as well as enhancing student learning outcomes, fostering higher-order cognitive skills such as critical-thinking.

Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2025/2026
Year 1: Project TypeLarge TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorAlireza Bagherzadeh
Year 1: Funded Amount87,198
Year 1: Team Members

Alireza Bagherzadeh, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Chemical and Biological Engineering (CHBE), Faculty of Applied Science
Sergio Berretta, Adjunct Teaching Professor, CHBE, Faculty of Applied Science
Pranav Chintalapati, Assistant Professor of Teaching, CHBE, Faculty of Applied Science
Amir M. Dehkhoda, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
Naoko Ellis, Professor, CHBE, Faculty of Applied Science
Gabriel Potvin, Associate Professor of Teaching, CHBE, Faculty of Applied Science
Jonathan Verrett, Associate Professor of Teaching, CHBE, Faculty of Applied Science