Volume I: Eco-Theology, Spirituality, and Environmental Ethics

AI-Driven Adaptive Learning in Islamic Higher Education: Enhancing Students’ Theological Reasoning and Eco-Theological Literacy

  • Ahmad Fauzi Zakaria UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Indonesia

Keywords

Adaptive Learning; Artificial Intelligence; RAG system; theological critical thinking; eco-theology.


Abstract

This study aims to develop and analyze the conceptual framework of an AI-based adaptive learning model utilizing a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system to enhance both digital religious literacy and theological reasoning, specifically focusing on integrating eco-theological concepts among Islamic Education (PAI) students. Employing a Research and Development (R&D) approach aligned with the ADDIE model, this research is grounded in a techno-pedagogical and qualitative framework. A preliminary needs analysis was conducted via a diagnostic survey involving 31 PAI students at Institut KH Ahmad Sanusi Sukabumi. The findings indicate a severe epistemic vulnerability within contemporary digital spaces, where 87.10% of students frequently encountered "AI hallucinations" or fabricated religious data generated by public commercial AI tools. Concurrently, an overwhelming 87.10% of respondents strongly demanded an authoritative, isolated, and structured AI learning ecosystem to prevent religious reference disorientation. In response to these empirical field realities, a customized Web-LMS prototype featuring smart routing capabilities was engineered, locking its vector database exclusively to verified Islamic texts, classical turats, and specialized eco-theology modules. Ultimately, this article contributes to the discourse on modernist Islamic pedagogy by successfully harmonizing rational reasoning (Aqli) and textual authenticity (Naqli), thereby cultivating a "Digital Burhani" epistemic framework among students to anchor cultural and ecological resilience in the multipolar era.


References

  1. Atho’ul Karim, A. (2024). Integration of AI Tools in Islamic Education Curriculum Development Management: Challenges and Opportunities. Journal of Loomingulisus Ja Innovatsioon, 1(3), 112–125. https://doi.org/10.70177/innovatsioon.v1i3.1298
  2. Branch, R. M. (2009). Instructional Design: The ADDIE Approach. Springer Science & Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09506-6
  3. Campbell, H. A. (2021). Digital Creatives and the Rethinking of Religious Authority. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003045625
  4. Faizin, N., Alfan, M., Basid, A., Ramadhan, M. R., Panatik, S. A., & Kawakip, A. N. (2025). Muslim Students’ Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence in Islamic Religious Education: An Extended TAM Approach. Discover Education, 4(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00767-1
  5. Francis, P. (2021). Laudato Si' and Eco-Justice: Implementing the Common Home Framework in Higher Education. Vatican Press / Journal of Catholic Social Thought, 18(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.2143/JCST.18.2.3289110
  6. Haluza-DeLay, R. (2023). Deepening the Engine: How Theological Reasoning Drives Practical Environmental Literacy. Journal of Social Ecology, 15(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13752-023-0451-x
  7. Jenkins, W., & Chapple, C. K. (2022). Religion, Ecology, and the Multipolar Crisis: A Systematic Review of Religious Environmentalism. Routledge / International Journal of Eco-Theology, 10(3), 201–219. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003112041
  8. Jihan Alifa Firdaus, R. I. U., R. R. A. A., & F. M. A. F. (2025). Ketergantungan Penggunaan Kecerdasan Buatan (AI) pada Tugas Akademik Mahasiswa Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis dan Kreatif. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam Kontemporer, 12(2), 89–101.
  9. Koehrsen, J. (2021). Eco-Theology Beyond Dogma: Contextual Hermeneutics and Climate Change in Global Religious Communities. Wiley / Environmental Policy and Governance, 31(4), 312–325. https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.1935
  10. Nisa, K., Saifullah Aldeia, A., Marannu, B., Ramli, M., Septiana Windyasari, V., Shalahuddin Ruhutama, T., & Aflahah, S. (2026). AI, Ethics, and Islamic Higher Education: Navigating the Tensions Between Practical Risk Mitigation and Religious Normativity. Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura (JIIF), 26(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.22373/jiif.v26i1.32978
  11. Putri, R. K. A., Kusaeri, K., & Suparto, S. (2025). Deep Learning in Automated Essay Scoring for Islamic Education: A Systematic Review. Online Learning in Educational Research (OLER), 5(2), 319–338. https://doi.org/10.58524/oler.v5i2.753
  12. Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), 3–10. http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm
  13. Syukur, F., Maghfurin, A., Marhamah, U., & Jehwae, P. (2024). Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Islamic Higher Education: Comparative Responses between Indonesia and Thailand. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(3), 531–553. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v7i3.13
  14. Veldman, R. C. (2024). From Facts to Moral Obligations: The Epistemological Catalyst of Faith in Climate Action. Oxford University Press / Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 92(1), 88–104. https://doi.org/10.1093/jaar/fhad012
  15. Yuensook, T., Jantakoon, T., & Limpinan, P. (2025). AI-Driven Adaptive Learning Systems in Higher Education: A Systematic Review. Journal of Education and Learning, 15(2), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v15n2p117
Scroll to Top