Artificial Intelligence and Teacher Professional Development: A Qualitative Study of Ideological and Political Theory Teachers in Private Universities

This study examines how Ideological and Political Theory (IPT) teachers in private universities experience, interpret, and respond to AI-driven transformations affecting their teaching practices, research activities, and career development trajectories. Employing a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight IPT teachers representing four academic ranks-teaching assistants, lecturers, associate professors, and professors-across Guangdong Province. Thematic analysis, facilitated by NVivo software, revealed three prominent patterns. First, AI-driven reconstruction of teacher competencies emerged as a critical challenge, with 75% of participants reporting insufficient preparedness in digital literacy, AIGC proficiency, and ethical decision-making. Second, teacher roles and career trajectories are undergoing substantial transformation, as educators shift from traditional knowledge transmission toward becoming facilitators of student learning, ideological evaluators, and guides in navigating AI-augmented educational environments. Third, the institutional ecology significantly shapes teachers' adaptive capacities, with widespread concerns about fragmented professional training, inadequate technical support, and misaligned incentive structures that hinder sustainable adaptation. The findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive, rank-sensitive, and ethically grounded professional development systems that integrate technological competence with ideological discernment. By highlighting key institutional barriers and opportunities for AI integration, this study contributes nuanced insights into the evolving experiences of IPT teachers in private higher education institutions. It further informs the development of sustainable, value-oriented AI practices that support educators in maintaining pedagogical effectiveness, ethical integrity, and career resilience amidst rapid technological change.