The Making of a Digital Scholar: Why I'm Redefining My Academic Identity

How artificial intelligence is reshaping what it means to be an academic in the 21st century

Six months ago, I stood at the crossroads many academics face today: embrace emerging technology or cling to traditional methods. I chose a third path—one that honors our scholarly heritage while boldly stepping into the future of academic work.

This decision has fundamentally transformed not just how I conduct research, but who I am as a scholar.

The False Choice Paralyzing Higher Education

Across institutional contexts, a false dichotomy is emerging: faculty and students feel they must choose between maintaining academic integrity or leveraging artificial intelligence. This binary thinking isn’t just limiting—it’s dangerous.

Traditional scholarship emphasizes deep thinking, rigorous methodology, and careful analysis. Those values remain non-negotiable. But the methods we use to achieve these outcomes? Those can and should evolve.

The scholars who will thrive in the coming decade aren’t the ones who resist change or abandon principles. They’re the ones who understand that when applied ethically, technological advancement can elevate scholarly work to unprecedented levels of insight and impact.

My Journey from Skeptic to Digital Scholar

When I first encountered AI tools in my EdD program at Drexel University, I was skeptical. Like many, I worried about intellectual authenticity, research integrity, and the erosion of critical thinking.

But as I began experimenting—always within ethical boundaries—something remarkable happened. My capacity for deep analysis didn’t diminish; it expanded. My research didn’t become less rigorous; it became more systematic and comprehensive.

Here’s what I discovered: AI doesn’t replace scholarly thinking. When used properly, it amplifies it.

• ChatGPT (OpenAI Idea generation, outlining, synthesizing readings, refining research questions, feedback on drafts, brainstorming prompts, drafting surveys or scripts

• Claude (Anthropic) Long-form document analysis, summarizing PDFs or transcripts, extended dialogue for literature mapping and reflective writing

• Perplexity Quick fact-checking with sources, live web-based research assistant, generating citations from web articles

• Consensus AI-powered academic search engine that summarizes peer-reviewed research—great for answering research questions with citations

• Scite Evaluating the credibility of scientific sources, seeing how often articles are cited with supporting or contrasting evidence

• Zotero Citation management, organizing literature libraries, syncing annotations, generating bibliographies with AI-assisted tagging

• Notion AI Brainstorming blog ideas, organizing research notes, auto-summarizing meeting transcripts, and creating draft outlines for writing projects

The Emergence of the Digital Scholar

Through this journey, I’ve come to embody what I now call the Digital Scholar—an academic who seamlessly integrates cutting-edge technology with timeless scholarly values.

Digital Scholars share several key traits:

• Ethical Integration: They use AI tools transparently, verifying every suggestion and documenting every interaction.

• Systematic Innovation: They adopt tools strategically, not reactively—aligning tech use with scholarly goals.

• Pedagogical Leadership: They model responsible AI use, showing students and peers how integrity and innovation can coexist.

• Continuous Learning: They evolve with the technology while deepening their disciplinary expertise.

Why This Evolution Matters Now

This transformation isn’t optional—it’s inevitable. Educational institutions worldwide are grappling with how to integrate AI into academic practice. Faculty who lead this shift thoughtfully will help shape policies and standards.

Those who wait may find themselves responding to decisions made by others.

And this isn't just about personal career growth. Higher education faces real challenges: declining public trust has reached a crisis point, with recent Gallup/Lumina Foundation data showing only one-third of Americans maintain high confidence in higher education, questions about value and relevance amid concerns that graduates lack essential analytic, communication and technical skills needed in the workplace, and competition from alternative learning platforms. Institutions that embrace ethical innovation and uphold academic excellence will be the ones that thrive.

Digital Scholars are poised to lead this transformation because we understand both the promise and the pitfalls of AI.

The Ripple Effects of Digital Scholarship

Embracing this new model has changed more than my research. It’s transformed every corner of my academic life:

• Research Efficiency: Literature reviews that once took entire weekends now happen in focused, productive sessions—freeing time for deeper analysis.

• Teaching Enhancement: AI helps with lesson planning and resource curation, allowing me to prioritize meaningful connections with students.

• Professional Development: By modeling ethical integration, I’ve become a trusted voice for colleagues, opening new doors for collaboration.

• Work-Life Balance: Increased efficiency in academic tasks has created space for the personal pursuits that sustain long-term productivity.

"Digital scholarship isn’t about doing less work—it’s about doing more meaningful work."

Looking Ahead: The Digital Academic Revolution

What I’m experiencing isn’t an outlier—it’s the start of a larger shift in how scholarship is done.

Across disciplines, forward-thinking academics are discovering that ethical AI integration enhances—not undermines—intellectual rigor.

This isn’t about replacing human intelligence.It’s about augmenting human capabilities to reach levels of scholarly excellence once unsustainable.

Those who recognize this early will shape how education evolves. They’ll influence policy, mentor future scholars, and prove that innovation and integrity aren’t just compatible—they’re synergistic.

An Invitation to Join the Movement

My transformation from traditional educator to Digital Scholar isn’t just a personal evolution. It’s part of a larger movement redefining academic excellence in the digital age.

This movement needs principled leaders—people who believe the future of higher education depends on embracing innovation without sacrificing the values that make scholarship meaningful.

Whether you’re just beginning your academic journey, questioning traditional approaches mid-career, or reevaluating your role as a senior scholar, there’s a place for you in this revolution.

The question isn’t whether AI will transform academic work—it’s whether you will help lead that transformation or be shaped by decisions others make.

The digital academic revolution has begun. The future belongs to those who master both tradition and innovation.

Are you ready to become a Digital Scholar?

• Absolutely—I’m ready to blend innovation with intention!
• Not yet. Still figuring it out—but curious to learn more.
• Let's talk after I survive this week's grading pile.

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Laura Roese is an Ed.D. Candidate researching AI integration in adult learning and the founder of the Digital Scholar movement. Connect with her work at LauraRoese.com or follow her journey on Instagram @LauraRoese_.