Integrative Islamic Education through Digital Pedagogy: Bridging Rationalism and Traditionalism in Higher Education

Abstract

The integrative Islamic education paradigm is increasingly important for Islamic higher education as institutions seek to preserve Islamic identity while responding to academic rationality, contextual learning, and digital transformation. This study examines how the dialectic between rationalism and traditionalism shapes integrative Islamic educational practices. A qualitative case study design was employed involving 28 participants, including institutional leaders, study program heads, lecturers, students, academic managers, and student affairs managers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and document analysis, and analyzed through data condensation, thematic presentation, and conclusion drawing, with credibility ensured through source and method triangulation, member checking, and an audit trail. The findings show that pesantren traditions, ASWAJA An-Nahdliyah, scientific manners, academic rationality, experiential learning, and digital pedagogy interact within a shared educational ecology. Islamic values provide the moral-spiritual foundation, while contextual discussion, field studies, mini-research, and digital resources support critical inquiry, evidence-based argumentation, reflective learning, information evaluation, and digital ethics. The study’s novelty lies in demonstrating that tradition, academic rationality, experiential learning, and digital pedagogy operate relationally rather than as separate dimensions. Practically, the model offers a framework for designing Islamic higher education that is religiously grounded, academically critical, contextually responsive, and digitally adaptive.