Integration of an IoT Environmental Monitoring System and an AI-Mediated Debate for the Development of Sustainability Competencies

Abstract

In the context of higher education in engineering, there is an increasing need to integrate transversal competencies such as sustainability and critical thinking. Those competencies, combined with technical proficiency in emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), allow future engineers to develop soft skills highly valued in the industry. This paper presents the results of two innovative educational experiences implemented in a challenge-based learning course named "Implementation of the Internet of Things" (TC1004B), located in the 3rd semester of the computer and information technology area. The educational experiences implemented are: (1) replacing a traditional challenge of designing a biometric wearable with a challenge of developing a multipoint IoT system for environmental pollutant monitoring, and (2) implementing a discussion forum ("DebatIA") as a complement to the challenge where students, using generative AI tools, argue for or against the ethical and environmental impact of their solutions. Through a comparative quasi-experimental design, the performances of two cohorts (2023, N=52; 2024, N=48) are analyzed using institutional analytical rubrics. The results show improvements (p < .05) in key sub-competencies related to sustainability, complex data analysis, and user-centered interface design. A slight decline is observed in a specific technical sub-competency, possibly associated with the learning curve of the new environmental domain. It is concluded that the intentional integration of challenges contextualized in real socio-environmental issues, combined with ethically mediated AI reflection spaces, significantly enhances deep learning and the development of transversal competencies in engineering students.