Work-in-Progress: Leveraging ChatGPT to Support Technical Communication Skills (Writing) in a Senior Chemical Engineering Laboratory Course

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) have sparked unprecedented interest across various fields since their release in November 2022 [1]. In education, AI is transforming both learning methodologies and administrative processes. The widespread interest in ChatGPT can be attributed to its robust performance across diverse applications, including essay composition, translation, content generation, and text summarization [2-6]. Its unique capability to respond naturally to interactive queries has set it apart from other tools. Recent studies [6] highlight advantages such as accessibility and efficiency, while others have compared traditional and AI-supported teaching methods in areas such as data analysis, teaching materials development, language learning, and plagiarism prevention [7-9]. Studies have explored its role in exam performance analysis, exam question generation and responses [10], and its effectiveness in academic writing, literature review synthesis, and translation [11]. Remarkably, an entire academic article written by ChatGPT (with minor human editing) has also been documented in the literature [12].