Dr. Alireza Bagherzadeh, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has secured $166,000 in funding over two years from UBC’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF) for his project titled “EngE-AI: A Gen-AI App for Fostering Critical Thinking in Engineering Education”.
The EngE-AI project aims to enhance how critical thinking and problem-solving skills are taught and developed in engineering education by exploring effective and responsible uses of Generative AI. The project team, comprising faculty and undergraduate collaborators from CHBE, Materials Engineering, and Computer Engineering, has been developing interactive learning tools and studying how AI can support student engagement, conceptual understanding, and professional readiness.
“Rather than replacing student thinking, our goal is to teach students how to use GenAI as a learning partner; enhancing creativity, reflection, and engineering judgment,” says Dr. Bagherzadeh.
The project will continue into its second year, expanding testing and student involvement, and sharing insights with the wider UBC and engineering education communities. This Socratic-style chatbot is planned to be integrated into the newly constructed state of the art Digital Design Studio @ CHBE!