The following is a paper I wrote in 2011 as part of an Applied Behavioral Sciences program at National-Louis University. Much of my study, research, and writing was focused on andragogical theories and practice, in particular those within the Muslim community and in the field of Islamic or Arabic Studies. The paper is basic and also dated, especially given the various changes and technological “advances” that have since taken place in distance learning. Regardless, I am sharing the paper in hope that someone may potentially benefit from the little research it provides.

In recent months, I have been reflecting on how many unfinished research and writing projects I have scattered throughout my files and folders. Knowing my potential to procrastinate in their completion, I am beginning to believe that collecting them in one place and posting even my unfinished drafts/notes will provide some benefit to both myself and others. May Allah grant me the ability to finish those projects and benefit others through them. Āmīn.

Introduction 

Although religious studies through distance learning is not a new phenomenon, distance learning programs that focus on Islamic studies are relatively new, and serious programs have only grown in number in the last decade (Rogers & Howell, 2004). One reason for the slow growth of such programs is the hesitation to employ technology, often considered antithetical to spiritual nourishment, in religious studies.

Islamic education traditionally places a great amount of focus on interactive, personal learning (Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, 2000). Classical Muslim scholars consider holistic religious knowledge only attainable at the feet – and through lengthy companionship – of an academic or spiritual mentor. These mentors are also expected to attain their knowledge through similar means, creating a continuous chain of direct learning that can be traced back to the first generation of Islam (Abu Ghuddah, 1996). This Islamic tradition of chain-based knowledge transmission, coupled with the centrality of spiritualism in religious learning systems, poses numerous challenges for online Islamic studies programs today.

Although relatively little if any research has been done on trends within such programs, there are now currently enough established programs around the world to allow for collection of substantive data. The purpose of this study is to identify the main differences between online and traditional learning of the Islamic sciences as well as to explore the effectiveness of online programs in the promotion of spiritual and academic development that is so central to classical Islamic seminary education.

Because studies suggest that the success of online learning programs largely rests upon the quality of the teaching component and teacher-student interaction (Heinemann, 2007), this study focuses its research on the views of faculty on the effectiveness of online Islamic studies programs. The study additionally explores how faculty meet the challenges of online learning as well as the methods they have adopted to attempt to match the quality of traditional face-to-face education.

The research in this article will broadly explore instructional adjustments that faculty of online Islamic studies programs make from similar courses they offer in a traditional face-to-face setting as well as their views on the effectiveness of such online programs, while the focused research question is: How does the online learning format impact instruction and learning in Islamic studies programs?

Related Literature

Distance learning as a mode of religious education has a long history. Although Ascough (2002) dates the first traces of distance learning to the fourteenth century, evidence of systematic transmission of knowledge through correspondence in Islamic history can be found extending as early as the ninth (Kamali, 2005). In the late ninth and early tenth centuries, a flourishing science of Islamic prophetic tradition (hadith) along with its numerous modes of transmission accommodated an early form of distance learning called mukataba (written correspondence by teacher to student). Azami (1977) claims that such long-distance transmission amongst Muslim traditionists (hadith scholars), which extended throughout most of the then civilized world, was quite commonplace and can even be traced back to the age of the early Caliphs in the eighth century. One might assume that with such a precedent for distance learning, contemporary Muslim scholars would have rushed to welcome online educational opportunities in the modern age. Such an assumption, however, would be inaccurate.

Despite its popularity in early Islamic learning, contemporary Islamic scholars have not received distance education as an alternative system of religious pedagogy with much optimism (Howell & Rogers, 2004). Nasser and Abouchedid (2000) note that despite attempts by local and international institutions like UNESCO to promote distance education, many Arab countries have seen no real implementation. They argue that such stagnancy can be attributed to the lack of recognition by ministries of education in the Arab world of higher education degrees obtained by distance as well as negative attitudes amongst education decision-makers. Still, Howell and Rogers (2004) highlight the likelihood of growth and success of Islamic-based distance education in the future due to the emphasis on learning in Quranic teachings. It is also worthy of note that Nasser and Abouchedid’s studies were conducted over a decade ago and were restricted to the Arab world and Arabic-medium education. Future studies are likely to produce more positive results.

Although Rogers and Howell (2004) count no more than four main Islamic distance-learning providers in 2004 – all notably Arabic-medium programs – the number of English-medium Islamic studies programs online today alone exceeds a dozen. Unfortunately, researchers have yet to study these programs in detail or compare them to similar online religious studies institutions and traditional programs.

Compared to the number of online Christian theological seminaries, the number of Islamic equivalents is still very small. In 1998, the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) found that 32% of ATS schools that responded to their survey were offering a form of distance education, placing the total at around eighty schools (Amos, 1999).

Although demand for Islamic studies in general continues to grow, questions about the effectiveness of religious education in an online format slow the growth of distance learning programs. Additionally, in light of an increased call for Islamic studies programs in a traditional face-to-face format in recent years, the question must be asked: How can online education overcome the handicaps of geographical distance and offer a standard of quality that matches that of face-to-face programs?

Senior and Weber (1994) warn educators from comparing the traditional residence mode of education and its standard of excellence with distance education models. In their findings, being in residence with the community should not be equated with good education since people involved in theological education know that “the reality is different from the rhetoric”. Hege (2011) similarly notes that a common problem amongst newcomers to the world of online education is the temptation to translate the traditional classroom model into the online classroom. Teachers fail to recognize that the form and even content of the two models must be treated separately. To solve this problem, he suggests a long list of strategies, including: a hybrid online/face-time model, required weekly blogging, regular paper assignments, building community through online forums, video introductions, regular virtual office hours, and social networking. He posits that online educational programs that require a strong community element, such as religious learning institutions, should focus efforts on creating a “safe and vibrant virtual community” rather than translating the traditional lecture model (Hege, 2011). Ascough (2002) offers a similar suggestion, arguing that the popular model of the “sage on the stage” that may work in a traditional setting is typically less effective than that of the “guide on the side”. In a virtual classroom, more time and energy needs to be spent engaging the student in interactive exercises and in facilitating learning through forums and discussions than on offering a linear discourse.

In a 2001 study, Brown (2001) proposes several data-supported theories, most notable amongst them that the community element in online education is only possible when participants want it to happen. The sense of community is felt by some participants but not by others. Instructors who use modeling and encouragement with students and participate heavily in online discussions can more easily help form community.

Walther (1996) and Salmon (2000) noted, however, that community building in distance learning is a slow process. Their research suggests that community building through online interpersonal relationships is both possible and necessary, but that instructors must realize that such relationships can develop normally only if given sufficient time and if moderated by skillful design and intervention.

Hart and Mohler (1998), however, believe that social isolation is an inherent weakness of online learning and that theological education should have a communal character. As such, distance education cannot serve as an adequate educational delivery system for theological education. Others argue that the literature on distance education contradicts this view (Hege, 2011; Heinemann, 2005; Hess, 2002).

Admittedly, much of the literature on the topic of online theological education is theoretical in nature. Qualitative or quantitative studies appear both limited and dated. It must be acknowledged that the technologies available to online theological programs have advanced greatly in the last decade and that students’ familiarity with the basic technology has also increased.

Perhaps the most exhaustive research in the last decade has been conducted by Mark H. Heinemann in a study that was published in four parts over the course of two years (Heinemann, 2005-7). After a lengthy and detailed quantitative study, Heinemann (2007) concluded that statistics support the proposition that students can get a quality education online, even when there is no face-to-face element. His study suggested that students make satisfactory gains in both affective and cognitive learning in distance learning courses, and that much of students’ perceptions about their learning is influenced by teacher-student interaction. He does not suggest, however, that teacher-student interaction is the most important factor in effective learning. His research identified learner-learner interaction as a very significant factor in affecting learning outcomes, if not perhaps the most significant factor (Heinemann, 2007). Lastly, Heinemann reminds the reader of a wide host of other internal factors that affect learning outcomes, three of which he identifies as major factors: cognitive style, personality characteristics, and self-expectations (Heinemann, 2007).

Although Heinemann’s study is the most detailed and most recent quantitative study of online theological education, it is limited in scope due to the number of variables studied, the heuristic nature of the models, and the non-random survey procedure of participant selection. Finally, Heinemann’s study does not explore the wide variances between distance learning models and does not take into account specific audio/visual instructional techniques.

Research Methodology

Qualitative research is a method of study that interprets phenomena through people’s perceptions of them. Further, qualitative research starts with observations and then induces an appropriate theory (McIntyre, 2005). Since this study was focused on observing the perceptions of distance learning faculty on the effectiveness of instruction and learning online, a basic qualitative study was designed. Observations gathered from the qualitative study were then used to induce generalizations and create theories.

Data collection for this study included interviews of 11 faculty members of online Islamic studies programs. Participants were limited to instructors who had experience in both traditional face-to-face (FtF) instruction as well as online instruction, but were not restricted to those who taught in large, formal institutions alone. Seven of the eleven participants were members of formal institutions of online learning, while the other four taught independently or informally. All of the participants were graduates of colleges of Arabic and Islamic Studies and had formal training in education through traditional methods. Their experiences in distance learning ranged from two to ten years. Eight of the eleven participants had taught as part of formal institutions of online learning while three had participated in informal, unstructured programs. The interviews were kept open-ended and flexible so as to allow for adaptation based on participants’ comments. Interviews were recorded for later transcription and lasted between 20 minutes and an hour.

Findings

All of the participants acknowledged a variety of challenges in imparting religious knowledge in a virtual classroom and recognized the inherent restrictions of the distance learning format. Most admitted that their participation in such programs was more a result of compulsive circumstances than a desire to create the ideal Islamic studies learning environment.

Meeting a need 

Without exception, all the participants felt that distance learning for Islamic studies was born out of a necessity produced by limitations of the current face-to-face learning system. Amongst such limitations, the most regularly cited was the scarcity of traditional Islamic studies programs in North America. With less than a dozen such full-time programs in the United States and a growing demand for Islamic learning from Muslim scholars and institutions, students who desire to learn through traditional methods are limited to a handful of options, few of which are convenient or practical.

Participants, therefore, agreed that distance learning allows scarce religious sources of knowledge to be accessible to a wider audience of learners, including students limited by geographical, financial, and even physical constraints. Additionally, the types of learners that face-to-face programs cater to differ widely from those who are attracted to online programs. Ismail explained that his students include many who do not enroll in traditional programs even when the option is available. Some are “introverts” who prefer to avoid the intimidating atmosphere of a traditional classroom and thus learn more effectively online. Other students, especially Muslim women, find it more comfortable taking courses online because it affords them the opportunity to avoid strong social pressures that they experience as practicing Muslims in public. One participant, who offers courses online at no cost, noted that his student body is almost entirely composed of financially underprivileged learners. Distance learning, he thus perceived, was more effective in meeting the Islamic demand for imparting knowledge to all people and not just the privileged.

More important to one participant, however, was the need that distance learning fulfilled for faculty. Mukhtar, due to personal circumstances, moved to an area of the country three years ago where there was no feasible teaching opportunity. His motivation to start up an online Islamic studies institute was to bypass the managerial hurdles an on-the-ground institution would demand, including the need for heavy initial capital, property management, and a large staff. “It was a choice of either giving up on my career or starting something easier and more financially feasible,” he explained. Setting up a website and purchasing the web-conferencing program was perhaps his greatest logistical challenge, one that he was able to resolve quickly with a few weeks of self-study and some technical advice from a friend.

Despite conceding that Islamic studies distance learning programs have been born out of a communal need, Abbas preferred to view it as a “pseudo-necessity”, claiming that it is perhaps a lack of dedication to serious learning and a lack of motivation to travel for the sake of knowledge that is proliferating online programs at a faster rate than their on-site counterparts. Although Abbas felt that distance learning programs will remain a need even when traditional programs increase in number, he expressed a fear that virtual learning will become the convenient norm and that the spirit of religious learning which demands lengthy companionship and “rigorous spiritual guidance” from a teacher will soon be perceived as unnecessary or obsolete.

Mukhtar and Ismail, however, felt that such fears were unfounded and that they contradicted their personal experience with distance learners. Both noted that their students tended to be more mature, dedicated, self-motivated, and consistent. Despite a large dropout rate, Mukhtar noted that the general quality of students who attended his online classes was superior to students he had taught face-to-face. Mukhtar assessed this superiority based on exam results and in-class interaction.

Facilitating Islamic studies

Several participants felt it important to highlight that distance learning programs are effective and successful because they are relatively easy to manage. Five of the eleven participants actually functioned as both instructors and deans of their respective programs. Fahim is the founder of an international institute of Islamic learning that employs professors from across the globe. For Fahim to a hire a teacher in India with credentials that match an Islamic studies teacher in the U.S., he needs only offer one tenth of the salary. This has allowed him to sustain a relatively large staff while keeping his tuition fees low enough to accommodate students from all parts of the world. Like Fahim, Ismail perceives the effectiveness of distance learning to be primarily in its reach and proliferation. “With today’s technology, no one has a real excuse not to empower himself or herself with knowledge of their faith. It has become so easy,” he remarked.

Because online courses often rely heavily on recorded lessons, Ismail noted that it is also now possible to teach a large number of courses with a very small staff. For each of his classes, Ismail records 14 one-hour lessons and supplements them with a weekly one-hour live session in which students are given the chance to ask questions, review lesson material, and engage other students in group activities. For some classes, Ismail records the lectures himself but then utilizes the services of a teaching assistant to manage the live sessions. This frees up time for Ismail to record lectures for future courses. In this manner, he plans on preparing recorded lectures for an entire Arabic and Islamic studies curriculum by himself. He comments, “Imagine a whole program being taught by just one teacher… We are redefining how people learn and teach. There is no measuring the impact and the possibilities.” Ismail’s comments speak clearly of a hope in the ability of distance learning to facilitate Islamic learning on a large scale.

Challenges in spiritual education

Regardless of distance education’s clear advantages and its pressing need, participants expressed differing views on its effectiveness in facilitating spiritual development. While the majority felt that spirituality cannot be taught only online, some proposed that spiritual development over long distances was not only theoretically possible but has also been practically demonstrated. Mansur, an instructor in a distance education program that focuses almost entirely on the spiritual element of education, noted no significant difference between his onsite and online students in terms of spiritual progress and moral development. Another teacher in the same program, Yaqub, explained that the goal of the program was less to teach and more to create a sense of community and piety amongst students. “We aren’t as concerned with teaching them opinions or facts. We just want to keep them busy in religious pursuits,” he stated. In achieving this goal, Mansur feels that the program has been successful in large part because the program inherently focuses on spirituality and so “students understand what is expected of them”. Still, both Yaqub and Mansur admitted that developing spirituality in students over distances is challenging. To meet the challenge, their program mandates a yearly weekend spiritual retreat on campus in which instructors focus their lessons on ethics, character, and spirituality instead of law, history, or Arabic.

Ashraf acknowledged that spiritual education is perhaps not as effective online but felt strongly that faculty should avoid adopting an all-or-nothing approach. He believed that even lectures influence student character and that teachers can feel an attachment to their students without ever meeting them offline. Ismail cited several classical examples in the field of Islamic spirituality (tasawwuf) that demonstrate that Sufis communicated with students (murids) regularly over distances. He commented,

We have many examples of [Sufi masters] who communicated with khalifahs (spiritual deputies) and murids (students) by letter or writing. We even know that they gave khilafah (certification of spiritual authority) over the phone or by writing in the past. I don’t see why people object so strongly to online programs when we have such clear examples in our tradition.

Both Mukhtar and Umer pointed out that spirituality poses less of a concern to them due to the nature of their students, who entered their programs already “religious-minded, committed, and receptive”. Most of Umer’s students are adult learners and therefore older, married, more mature, and part-time learners. The student dynamic makes it easier for him to speak about spiritual issues because of their pertinence to the adult learner’s life.

Disconnect

A common theme that emerged from the research was a feeling of disconnect amongst faculty, both between faculty and students and between faculty and the scholarly community. Fahim, for example, has taught classes online from home for over six years after having briefly taught at a traditional college. He noted that teaching outside of the traditional institutional setting with a campus and regular colleague interaction had left him disengaged from the scholarly community. In Fahim’s eyes, this had begun to limit his own growth as a developing scholar. Mukhtar expressed a similar feeling of isolation after having left the seminary where he had taught and complained about his inability to “bounce ideas off” other faculty members on a regular basis. On the other hand, Umer felt that his social interactions with peers had actually increased after teaching online. The flexibility of the virtual classroom allowed him to travel on a weekly basis and teach wherever he had access to an internet connection. Umer’s travels throughout the country and even the world have allowed him to connect with scholars he would not have the chance to ever meet had he been confined to a traditional classroom.

Faculty of distance learning programs are often the target of heavy suspicion and criticism from colleagues and seniors. The common perception of such programs amongst senior scholars of Islamic studies ranges from “half-baked edutainment” to “reprehensible innovation”. Yaqub, a traveling speaker who interacts regularly with scholars in the field of Arabic and Islamic studies, felt marginalized by colleagues, friends, and former professors who viewed his distance learning program as “dangerously compromising the high academic standards of Islamic studies”. As a result, Yaqub admits that he often considers leaving the program to relieve some of the social pressure that has caused him to question the effectiveness of distance learning.

Without exception, all the participants felt varying degrees of isolation and detachment from students despite the fact that three of the participants offered time outside of class for office hours, forum discussion, and web-chats. Ashraf perceives himself as a visual learner. As a result, he depends heavily on non-verbal communication to assess student progress. Like several other participants, Ashraf felt like he knew little about the students he taught and, more importantly, how they interacted with him in class. He commented,

I like to read body language when I teach. It helps me capture [the students’] attention and understand the disposition of each student. Online, I have to constantly ask if people are understanding. How do [I] know if someone is losing focus or even interested? How do I take into account that at some point students may get tired? How do I know when to go off on a tangent and, say, tell a joke?

The disconnect between students and teachers appears to have impacted faculty in various ways. Five of the participants expressed clear frustration over a lack of student participation in their classes. Yaqub admitted that he was often suspicious that his students were not attentive during late-hour classes because they were distracted by the temptation to participate while laying in bed, engaged in household chores, or even “playing video games in their underwear”. He added,

I’ll be teaching and ask a student a question and there will be a ten second pause. I’ll then ask the student where he was and he’ll say, “I’m sorry, my microphone was on mute.” Look, I have a mute button too. It take’s a second or two to press it, not ten. I know these students are zoning in and out.

Ashraf and Umer expressed similar suspicions, both noting that their frustrations resulted in less commitment to the students and less hours put into preparing for class. While Umer didn’t argue against the utility and effectiveness of his online program, he admitted that he had yet to establish a bond with his online students similar to the bond he felt for students of his face-to-face classes. He felt unable to properly gauge his relationship with online students or determine how they were receiving him as a teacher. “I can’t tell if they are rolling their eyes, or sighing, or taking me seriously. It changes my teaching style,” he explained.

On the other hand, some participants responded to the feeling of disconnect by devoting more time and energy to brainstorming how newer technologies can increase a true feeling of community between students and teachers. Although they admitted that the technologies are still limited, they have hope that some of their ideas will help resolve the problem. One participant started a blog for each of his classes that allows students to comment on weekly reading assignments. What he noticed was that the number of students who regularly commented was low but that the quality of discussion was very high. Although he considered requiring student participation on class blogs, he decided against it when students complained about their unfamiliarity with the technology and requested time to adjust to the online learning experience

Some participants viewed the isolation that resulted from their distance learning experiences as advantageous because it provided them freedom from the restrictions of traditional curriculum management and the social pressure of conforming to peer standards. They enjoyed more independence in the design of course curricula as part of their loosely-organized online startups and preferred their flexibility to the constrictions experienced as employees of traditional seminaries and college programs.

Despite the comments participants provided, it is worthy of consideration that very few felt comfortable with internet software and only one kept himself updated with the latest advancements in web-education. Ismail complained of audio lag, or “latency”, due  to low bandwidth on student computers. He explained,

Many times, I’ll try to stop a student [when he’s reading a text incorrectly] but he’s already moved on. Then he’ll hear me but its not simultaneous and so I have to repeat myself. It wastes a lot of time and its very frustrating. You feel like giving up altogether.

Measuring progress

Perhaps the least amount of adaptation to the distance learning format could be noticed in how participants measured student progress. With one exception, all the participants who periodically evaluated their students admitted using the same types of exams, quizzes, and in-class assessments that they did in face-to-face programs. Some participants admitted that they didn’t evaluate student progress at all, fearing that exams would drive students away or prevent them for registering for their classes.

Mukhtar felt that the feedback he received from students was an unreliable measure of the effectiveness of his program. Students either vocalized high praise or remained silent, making it difficult to explain the high dropout rate. He added that with over 100 students participating in some of his classes, it was impossible for him to measure student satisfaction through in-class interaction. Although he initially assumed students were regularly logging into the live sessions, he later discovered that many had been skipping classes altogether and relying entirely on recordings.

Abbas highlighted the challenges of measuring progress in a virtual classroom through his experiences teaching students various forms of Muslim ritual worship. Abbas felt challenged in gauging whether students understood material well because of the natural focus in Islamic studies on praxis. He felt incapable of properly ascertaining whether “students were actually going through the movements of salat (ritual prayer) more correctly after taking my class”. The uncomfortable ambiguity in practical results left him deeply dissatisfied with his online teaching and eventually led him to discontinue it.

While few participants felt that distance learning could successfully translate the face-to-face educational and spiritual experience exactly, most faculty agreed that the success of distance learning Islamic studies programs rests upon the ability of instructors to recognize the inescapable differences between the two models and to design distance learning programs so as not to create an expectation of equality between the two. This realization has led some participants to differentiate between the two programs in several respects. Some programs have limited their degree offering for online classes, requiring on-campus enrollment for any class beyond an Associate’s degree level. Some programs have been careful not to label themselves as madrasahs (Islamic seminaries) or dar al-‘ulums (Islamic colleges) at all, preferring generic terms that don’t imply the same academic rigor or expectations. In fact, most of the programs refuse to offer degrees of any kind. Some participants abandoned the lecture format of teaching for student-focused discussions and heavier in-class interaction.

Only one participant, Fahim, felt otherwise. Fahim’s institute actually attempts to exactly replicate the face-to-face setting in the virtual world. Fahim explained, “We don’t want to create a difference between the two systems. We want students to feel they are getting the exact same education, just over a distance.” Fahim admitted, however, that he was unsure of how successful he has so far been in meeting that goal and recognized that he may eventually have to make adjustments to his teaching methodology in order to match the quality of traditional education.

Discussion

The literature on distance learning suggests that regardless of the subject of study, programs can be effective only if they do not attempt to replicate the traditional classroom model online (Hege, 2011). Participants’ views and experiences with distance learning in Islamic studies seem to corroborate the literature. Participants viewed distance learning not as a replacement for traditional face-to-face education but as a necessary alternative, cooperative supplement, or as meeting an altogether separate need. Should this paradigm continue, it is likely that distance learning programs in Islamic studies will grow at a rapid pace and will alleviate perceptions amongst the scholarly community of distance learning as a threat to traditional educational models.

The study indicates that the effectiveness of distance learning for Islamic studies is hampered most by three factors: the near absence of nonverbal communication, technological unreliability and unfamiliarity, and disconnect between students and teachers. Participants seemed at odds with the technology and frustrated with feelings of isolation, marginalization, and unresponsiveness. Nevertheless, participants expressed much confidence in the ability of distance learning programs to impart some level of spiritual education and to meet the demands of a wider audience of teachers and learners.

Although much of the literature has focused its study of the effectiveness of theological distance learning programs on learning outcomes, these findings shed light on previously unexplored motivations centered around faculty. Some teachers seemed motivated to engage in distance learning and judge their effectiveness based primarily on personal motives, such as expanding teaching opportunities or enjoying more flexibility in designing course material and curricula.

Findings also suggest that Islamic studies distance learning programs remain at an early stage of development and have yet to explore the plethora of educational tools that are available to today’s virtual instructor. Participants admitted deficiencies in research and exploration of newer technologies and expressed a desire to collaborate with faculty of competing programs to develop a more uniform and quality curriculum of study.

The study was limited in several areas of exploration. First, only one of the participants spoke about the challenges of teaching Arabic over distance. An undeniable and essential element of Islamic education is the study of the Arabic language. Neither the existent literature on distance learning in theological studies nor the participants in the study separately explored the challenges faculty face in teaching foreign languages. Researchers may take this subject of study into consideration in future research.

Second, none of the participants explored the learner-learner dynamic which Heinemann (2007) emphasizes as arguably the most significant element of a successful online theological education. A variety of causes may be to blame for this limitation, most notably the brevity of certain interviews and the inexperience of the interviewer whose questions may not have directed participants clearly toward that dynamic. As a result, responses to questions on student dynamics highlighted the strength of students as motivated, independent, and mature individuals rather than how they interacted with one another as learners.

It is worthy of note that the relatively young age of Islamic distance learning institutions means that participant experience will be fairly limited. Participants in this study hesitated to express their views clearly and lacked confidence in providing concrete answers. They often closed responses by offering that their conclusions were likely to be premature because they had yet to graduate a class from their programs. It is thus also difficult to make any substantive conclusion about the nature of the community element in such programs as perceptions may change quickly as faculty gain more experience and explore more effective learning tools.

Although research on the growing number of Islamic studies distance learning programs is limited, perceptions of such programs as ineffective in imparting a quality spiritual and academic product remain strong (Howell & Rogers, 2004). The participants of this study, while acknowledging the limitations of distance education, challenge such perceptions and suggest that distance learning has a permanent yet limited role to play in the field of Islamic education that will only increase with the emergence of more interactive technological tools.

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