Grainger Engineering faculty are helping define the future of engineering education, setting new standards for AI fluency and responsibility through curricular innovation, human-centered teaching, and a commitment to ensuring AI strengthens learning without compromising rigor. As AI rapidly reshapes how students learn, the college is preparing students to do more than use the technology. They must also develop deep engineering fundamentals, technical mastery, and the judgment to question, verify and responsibly apply what AI produces. “When I think about the future of undergraduate education in engineering, my concern is that AI is very good at removing friction,” said Jonathan Makela, associate dean of Undergraduate Programs and Abel Bliss Professor of Engineering with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “You can place something in a chatbot, and it'll give you the answer right away. However, learning requires friction, and that underscores the reason our students come to Grainger Engineering. They chose an environment where they will be challenged.”