Collaborative Research: Research Initiation: Engineering students' outcome expectations for AI careers: An exploratory study

美国正面临着人工智能（AI）方面的工程师前所未有的短缺。人工智能有可能改变工程和技术的所有领域，但只有当今天的工程专业学生选择将人工智能作为他们的教育和职业目标的一部分时，这种潜力才能实现。该项目将研究工程专业学生如何以及为什么将人工智能纳入或排除在他们的教育和职业目标之外。该项目的成果将为设计包容性项目奠定基础，以满足未来对熟练人工智能劳动力的需求。该项目符合《国家人工智能研发战略计划》和其他联邦政策文件中概述的国家优先事项。该项目研究了一所大型公立工程学院的本科工程专业学生如何应对人工智能正在重塑的职业前景。在社会认知职业理论的基础上，我们的定性研究将回答以下问题：工程本科生如何看待与人工智能相关的学术和职业选择，学生如何描述这些看法对他们的学术和职业规划的影响？2)。学生对人工智能课程作业和职业的期望与他们对传统工程专业课程作业和职业的期望有什么相似或不同？3)。对人工智能职业感兴趣的学生对结果的期望与对更传统的工程职业感兴趣的学生有何不同？从长远来看，这项工作将帮助教育工作者了解如何将人工智能引入本科工程教育，而不会排除最初对人工智能不感兴趣或背景的学生，也不会降低人们对传统工程职业的兴趣。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The United States is facing an unprecedented shortage of engineers who are skilled in artificial intelligence (AI). AI has the potential to transform all fields of engineering and technology, but this potential can only be realized if today’s engineering students choose to make AI part of their educational and career goals. This project will study how and why engineering students include or exclude AI from their educational and career goals. Results from this project will lay the groundwork for designing inclusive programs that meet tomorrow’s demands for a skilled AI workforce. This project aligns with national priorities as outlined in the National AI R&D Strategic Plan, among other federal policy documents.This project examines how undergraduate engineering students at a large, public engineering school navigate a career landscape that is being reshaped by AI. Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory, our qualitative study will answer the following questions: 1.) How do engineering undergraduates perceive academic and career options related to AI, and how do students describe these perceptions as influencing their academic and career plans? 2.) How are students’ outcome expectations related to AI coursework and careers similar to or different from their outcome expectations for coursework and careers in their traditional engineering major? 3.) How do the outcome expectations of students who are interested in AI careers differ from students who are interested in more conventional engineering careers? Long term, this work will help educators understand how AI can be brought into undergraduate engineering education without excluding students who initially do not have an interest or background in AI and without decreasing interest in traditional engineering careers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.