Integrating Generative AI and Design Thinking in Aesthetic Education: A Narrative-Based Instructional Model in a Digital Culture Course

This study examines a narrative-based instructional model that integrates design thinking and generative AI to enhance master’s students’ aesthetic literacy and narrative immersion. Guided by an interpretivist paradigm, the research adopted a qualitative Instructional Design–Based Research (IDBR) approach implemented in a graduate-level Digital Culture course. Data were collected from students’ creative works, process documentation, classroom observations, written reflections, and semi-structured interviews, and analyzed through thematic analysis with triangulation. A qualitative rubric was applied to examine aesthetic expression, narrative coherence, and reflective use of AI. The findings indicate that generative AI lowered technical barriers to creative expression, enabled rapid visualization, and supported stronger narrative immersion and emotional engagement. This study demonstrates the pedagogical value of integrating design thinking, narrative theory, and AI, and proposes a replicable instructional model that positions AI as a human-centered creative partner in higher education.