Ethnographic insights into AI Pedagogy for Higher Education: A Qualitative Study [Extended Abstract]

This chapter presents findings from four months of ethnographic fieldwork in an experimental arts capstone unit on AI at Macquarie University (2024). Guided by the research question, “How does the intentional design of AI learning 'laboratories' transform students' AI-specific ‘habitus’ while demonstrating possibilities for cultural change in higher education?” this study employs the concept of digital habitus (Romele 2023; Bourdieu 1977) and Latour’s Laboratory as interpretative frameworks to examine how the seminar facilitated a shift from students' initial apprehension, misconceptions, and mixed perceptions about AI toward technical proficiency and critical AI literacy; the capacity to move from passive, fearful consumers to informed collaborators who can evaluate AI capabilities and limitations, reflect on ethical implications across diverse contexts, and make deliberate choices about when and how to engage with AI tools.