Generative AI as a Method-Bank Tool in STEM4S: Bridging Creative Sustainability Education and Civic Design Practice

This study examines how Generative AI (GenAI) was integrated into creative sustainability education through the STEM Education for Sustainability (STEM4S) framework. Conducted in 2024, the study examined a nine-week intervention comprising a breastfeeding-room track in a second-year interior-design course and a sports-gym track in a third-year commercial-space-design course. Twenty students completed the pre-assignment questionnaire, and 18 completed matched pre- and post-assignment questionnaires after two withdrawals. GenAI was introduced as a scaffolded method-bank tool to support prompt-based ideation, visualization, and critique. A qualitative-dominant mixed-methods case-study design combined matched pre- and post-assignment questionnaires, student reflections, classroom observations, project outcomes, and professional critique records. Paired comparisons showed that students’ self-rated SDG 11 knowledge increased from 2.94 ± 1.16 to 3.56 ± 0.92 (p = 0.012, Cohen’s dz = 0.67), while SDG 5 knowledge decreased from 4.39 ± 0.70 to 3.72 ± 1.02 (p = 0.014, Cohen’s dz = −0.65); both findings are interpreted as exploratory due to the small sample. Qualitative findings indicate that GenAI supported visual exploration but also produced prompt difficulty, visual repetition, and spatial inconsistency. The findings suggest that GenAI can extend the STEM4S method bank when embedded within civic learning, critique, and human design judgment, while its transferability requires further testing across contexts.