Abstract:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the ability of a machine to exhibit the same capabilities as humans, such reasoning, learning, creativity and the ability to plan. Its future applications are expected to imply great changes, but AI is already present in our lives, despite the possible risks that its inappropriate use may entail. Therefore, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, states that we should focus our efforts on:
a) learning with AI,
b) learning about AI and
c) preparing for AI and also points out its great potential for developing innovative teaching and learning practices.

For all these reasons, taking into account the opportunities that AI presents for teaching innovation, we believed that it should be introduced in classrooms bringing students closer to this new technology, and it could be a good tool for critical reasoning. The objective of this project was to strengthen the critical reasoning competence (G15) of Agricultural Engineering students through AI, using primary-secondary sources of information that will allow them to refute/approve the solution provided by AI to solve a given problem. A linear methodology was used and in doing so, we proposed a real problem to our students. Then the students using AI sources of information searched for solutions to the given problem. Then they received instructions to solve properly the problem. Finally, they had to refuse or approve the solution provided by AI, using critical thinking. The flipped classroom was used as a methodology for students to search with AI a solution to a given engineering problem. By checking, validating and confirming the results, they contrasted the results provided by the AI, strengthening the G15 critical thinking competence. An e-rubric was used to evaluate the fulfillment of objectives, aligning the evaluation with the competences to be acquired by the student. The results showed students different familiarity with AI technology. Master's students showed higher knowledge of AI than Bachelor's students. Moreover, we teached and presented AI technology to students and teachers for the first time. The students were fascinated with AI and expressed the huge oportunities that this technology could bring to many of their rutinary activities that they face while learning. Some students even started to give comands to AI and exploited its results (only two advantage students but not the majority of them). Some teachers also had their first contact with this technology and expresed many doubts and concerns in the future of the teaching and learning process considering AI and how to evaluate rutinary academic activities that can be solved quickly with AI such bibliographic review, redaction, etc. We concluded that this technology will move the teaching-learning process to a new context and teachers have to adapt their evaluations to this new area.

Keywords:

Teaching innovation project, Technology, teaching-learning process, flipped learning, e-rubrics.