In the spring of 2024, Tufts CEEO debuted a new online course, ENE 193: Engineering Design with Artificial
Intelligence for Middle and High School Teachers. The course was designed to support middle and high school
teachers in exploring artificial intelligence (AI) within the context of teaching engineering design. Developed
by Lecturer Bill Church and Research Associate Professor Ethan Danahy, the course leveraged the Teacher
Engineering Education Program’s online, asynchronous format to provide teachers with an accessible and flexible
means to learn about AI while furthering their professional development at the graduate level. The course’s dual
approach of “teach AI” and “teach with AI” aimed to equip educators with a comprehensive understanding of AI
basics and the potential classroom applications.
Throughout the course, teachers engaged in a variety of hands-on activities utilizing robotics kits to explore AI
algorithms and their applications in engineering education. The teachers applied AI as technical support for
robotics projects using an AI coding assistant designed by undergraduate students Gabriel Sessions and Joseph
Heimerl. Teachers also utilized freely available online generative AI systems to engage with engineering thinking
around client needs, simulated client testing, and scaling up classroom prototypes for real-world manufacturing
and deployment.
The course concluded with personal projects, allowing participants to delve deeper into AI topics or tailor
engineering lessons for their classrooms. By focusing on the critical balance of curiosity, critical thinking, and
practical application, the class empowered educators to confidently introduce AI to their students, reflecting Tufts
CEEO’s mission of fostering innovative and impactful engineering education.
The course will be offered again in spring 2025. Details and registration information can be found on Tufts University College website. In preparation, Ethan and Bill recently recorded a webinar “What is AI and How do we use it in the classroom?” which you can now watch online!
