American Society for Engineering Education Conference Tackles the Role of AI in Education

In the Charles B. Wang Center during the fall of 2025, a meeting of the Middle Atlantic section of the American Society for Engineering Education gathered to exchange ideas and information about the role of artificial intelligence in education.

Gary Halada, from the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering,was in charge of the process to set up this meeting.

"The goal was basically to get educators, students and people who were interested together to talk about important issues in engineering education," Halada said.

Halada brought together people from various colleges in the Mid-Atlantic region, including New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Washington, D.C.

The American Society for Engineering Education hosts two conferences every year from each regional section, one in the fall and one in the spring. The theme of the conference last fall was the transformative role of artificial intelligence in engineering education.

Meetings of the American Society for Engineering Education are crucial because college faculty aren't trained specifically how to teach, unlike, for example, high school teachers.

"College faculty don't necessarily have the same kind of people skills in terms of teaching that you would expect, say, a qualified high school teacher to have," Halada said. "The question is, since those skills are going to become very important when the subject matter is being taught through AI agents and online resources, what value is brought to the learning process by university faculty, and how is that going to affect how they're trained in the future?"

The planning for the conference began a year prior to the meeting date. Robert Kukta, senior associate dean for education and innovation, and professor Anurag Purwar in the Department of Mechanical Engineering also made major contributions. Stephanie Taboda, an assistant engineering professor at Suffolk Community College and a former student of Halada's, also had an active role in the planning.

Andrew Singer, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, delivered the introductory remarks. He recognized that conferences like these bring together a vibrant community of educators and create a space to connect, to explore innovative teaching strategies, to confront emerging challenges, and to imagine what engineering education could look like in the decades to come. He said, "AI will not replace engineers. But engineers who understand AI will replace engineers who don't."

"For the faculty, we're presenting concepts in enhancing engineering education through various techniques," Halada said. "Various processes for active learning and developing, project-based learning, all different types of enhancements, including enhancing assessment as well as techniques for delivering knowledge and engaging students."

- Angelina Livigni