Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming higher education on a global scale, providing new possibilities for content delivery, student engagement, and teaching practices. In South African private-higher-education institutions, the transformation corresponds to limitations around lecturer readiness, ethical use, and institutional support. This qualitative case study explores how lecturers perceive and experience the combination of AI within the flipped classroom, a strategy that emphasises active, student-centred learning. Guided by the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), the study investigates lecturer perceptions of AI adoption in the flipped classroom. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using Saldaña’s (2013) two-cycle coding process and Braun and Clarke’s (2019) thematic framework. Findings indicate that while AI is welcomed for its potential to support lesson planning and reduce workload (performance expectancy), concerns remain pertaining to student misuse, reduced learning depth, and the need for pedagogical alignment. Effort expectancy is defined by time constraints and tool overload rather than a lack of technical skills, while social influence and facilitating conditions emerge as major factors enabling AI implementation. The study highlights the importance of structured, context-specific assistance to ensure AI complements rather than compromises teaching practice, offering recommendations for responsible AI integration at private-higher-education institutions in South Africa.