Education

Associate Professor: “The students have to develop an AI assistant based on the syllabus and fact-check its answers”

When artificial intelligence became available to everyone a few years ago, Associate Professor Steffen Foss Hansen and his colleagues had an idea. How about integrating AI into a master's course in a way that would challenge students academically?

Steffen Foss Hansen believes that innovation is necessary to keep a course relevant. Photo: DTU.

Wednesday 03 December 2025

Linnea Lundberg

Associate Professor Steffen Foss Hansen and his colleagues at DTU Sustain have chosen to integrate artificial intelligence into the master's course in Environmental Management, Innovation, and Ethics.

“I asked some of the students how much they used artificial intelligence, and chatbots in particular, to solve tasks, and they answered honestly that they used it a lot. And then I thought that we should take advantage of this as teachers; we should embrace the technology, but in a critical and challenging way,” explains Steffen Foss Hansen.

So how do you do that? Steffen Foss Hansen discussed this with his colleagues, and the answer was custom-made chatbots, also known as AI assistants.

“We decided that the students should learn to develop their own AI assistants based on the course syllabus. And then they had to fact-check their answers. That way, the students become skilled at using artificial intelligence, they learn more about the syllabus, and they learn to be critical of the technology they are using,” he says. 

Facts

About the master's course Environmental Management, Innovation and Ethics

  • The course was first held in 2003
  • It lasts three weeks and takes place in January
  • The students use Microsoft's chatbot software Co-Pilot Studio to develop their own AI assistants
  • The course combines lectures with classroom teaching and group work
  • You can read more about it at kurser.dtu.dk
Steffen Foss Hansen himself has created many AI assistants. Photo: DTU.

Constantly evolving

Steffen Foss Hansen is very pleased with the way the students have responded to the new element in the teaching, because he believes that innovation is necessary to keep a course relevant. That is why changes will also be made when the master's course is held again in January 2026, as there is always room for improvement.

“We have made some changes to the course after receiving feedback from the students who participated in it the last time we ran it, so it will be exciting to see how it goes this January. That is also part of the deal when you incorporate new technology. It is constantly evolving, and we want to evolve as teachers too,” explains Steffen Foss Hansen.

The course was established in 2003 and examines how not only engineers, but society as a whole, regulates and addresses environmental problems. The aim is to teach students that their technical knowledge of environmental problems must be placed in a broader social context when seeking solutions to these problems. At the same time, the course also aims to promote the students' ability to collaborate across disciplines.

“We change about a third of the course content every year in the hope that it will remain a relevant course for both the students and us. But I am 99 percent sure that the use of artificial intelligence is here to stay,” explains Steffen Foss Hansen.

The whiteboard in Steffen Foss Hansen's office is filled to the brim with notes on environmental management, innovation, ethics and AI. Photo: DTU.

Contact

Steffen Foss Hansen

Steffen Foss Hansen Associate Professor Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering Phone: +45 45251593