ChatGPT in the Engineering Classroom: A Pre-Study on Students' Perceptions and Experience

Engineering education constantly evolves to meet engineering fields' demands and keep up with the latest technological advances. Generative AI is considered one of the most significant technological developments in recent decades, impacting numerous fields. It has excellent potential as a versatile and valuable tool for information systems education inside and outside universities. ChatGPT significantly enhances personalized learning in education, providing quick access to information. However, this comes with the duality where, from one side, it can serve as a means for students' access to tailored knowledge at any time. Conversely, it can hinder students' education, leading them to loss of interest, lack of critical thinking, or even acts of plagiarism. Focusing on four categories of cognitive depth in the form of several assignments on the subject of Digital Systems Design, we present a pre-study on the perceived usefulness of ChatGPT from the student's perspective. We also provide ideas for the future research.