The Application of Generative AI Technology in ESP Courses for Civil Engineering Majors

English writing proficiency undoubtedly stands as a crucial metric in assessing students’ English ability. It not only mirrors their vocabulary accrual and grammatical proficiency but also underscores their logical thinking, cultural awareness, and innovative capabilities. However, the challenge in elevating English writing skills stems from both students’ learning attitudes and habits, as well as teachers’ teaching methods and ideologies. To address these obstacles, generative artificial intelligence has been harnessed to fuel a series of teaching reform initiatives, particularly within the realm of English for specific purposes. In order to cultivate greater enthusiasm and proficiency in writing among students, a quasi-experimental teaching study was conducted for a semester among undergraduate civil engineering students. The research findings have shown that the integration of ERNIE Bot 4.0 in ESP courses significantly enhances students’ English writing proficiency and effectively sparks their enthusiasm for writing.