Frida Englund Sandvik
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture.
Frida Englund Sandvik is a PhD candidate at the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Her PhD project explores how artificial intelligence (AI) may both reduce and reinforce social inequalities in higher education, with a particular focus on social class, inclusion, and epistemic justice. Using a sociotechnical perspective, she investigates how students from different social backgrounds engage with and benefit from AI in their studies. Frida holds a vocational degree in Musical Theatre from Bårdar Akademiet, a BA in Pedagogy from NTNU, and an MA in Science and Technology Studies (STS) from NTNU. Her research interests lie at the intersection of technology, education, and social inequality, with a particular focus on AI, digital divides, and the role of technology in shaping opportunities for participation and learning.
Tell us about your project!
My PhD project examines how artificial intelligence (AI) shapes processes of inclusion and exclusion in higher education. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in students’ everyday learning practices, it is often framed as a technology capable of democratizing knowledge and reducing social and epistemic inequalities. However, emerging research suggests that students’ social backgrounds influence how they access, understand, and benefit from AI tools.
Using a sociotechnical approach informed by Science and Technology Studies (STS), the project explores how first-generation students and students from highly educated families domesticate AI in their academic work. Through focus group workshops and qualitative interviews, the project aims to generate knowledge about how AI interacts with social class, digital inequalities, and epistemic justice in contemporary higher education.
“My PhD project examines how artificial intelligence (AI) shapes processes of inclusion and exclusion in higher education.”
— Frida Englund Sandvik on her PhD project “Equal access, unequal use? AI and class in higher education”